The Vietnam veteran: memory, social context, and metaphor.

Post-traumatic stress disorder has become a syndrome of particular importance in the study of the Vietnam veteran. The symptoms of this disorder highlight the role of memory in psychiatric disorders. In this paper, case studies are presented to illustrate the active generative role of memory and the importance of the role of social context and metaphor in understanding memory. This perspective has significance both for clinical work with the Vietnam veteran and for future research on this population.