Jordan Peele’s 2019 psychological horror film Us is a profound exploration of childhood trauma, memory, and its long-lasting psychological effects.
Through a gripping narrative that intertwines horror, family relationships, and social commentary, Peele uses the metaphor of the “Tethered”—shadowy versions of the main characters—to show the impact of childhood trauma and illustrate how it can shape identity, dictate behavior, and resurface in unsettling ways.
The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Identity
At the heart of Us is Adelaide, a woman deeply affected by the impact of childhood trauma. When she was a little girl, she got separated from her parents during a family trip to the beach and wandered into a mirror maze. There, she came face to face with a terrifying version of herself—silent and unsettling.
As an adult, she seems to have moved past it, creating a family and settling into a comfortable life in a nice neighborhood. But beneath her picture-perfect life, the impact of childhood trauma still lingers, waiting to resurface.
The trauma may cause a person to unintentionally push loved ones away, especially their children, due to unresolved fears or protective instincts [1]. These unaddressed wounds can affect a parent’s ability to form healthy bonds, creating tension and distance in the family.
That’s why it’s key to overcome the impact of childhood trauma on the path to conscious parenting. For more insights into strong, supportive relationships with your children, you can read article on how to be a good mother and create an environment filled with love, learning, and resilience.
Unfortunately, Adelaide’s relationships with her family are built on her unacknowledged trauma. Her inability to fully reconcile with her past leads to a constant fear of something bad happening, something that she can’t fully explain or control.
Adelaide’s “normal” life is based on a lie. No matter how hard she tried to move on, her fears never fully went away, casting a shadow over her life. Thus, when the truth comes to light, it disrupts everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.
The Role of Repression and Memory in Trauma
In psychological terms, repression is a defense mechanism in which distressing memories or emotions are pushed out of conscious awareness [2]. However, these repressed memories don’t disappear—they often find other ways of showing up.
The Tethered, the film’s central antagonists, are literal and symbolic representations of the repressed aspects of Adelaide’s identity. They are darker, twisted versions of the characters, living underground and mimicking their actions.
Childhood experience left Adelaide with a mix of fear, guilt, and confusion, sticking with her for years. The first step she should have taken was a childhood trauma test to find out how it was affecting her presence. However, she chose to suppress her emotions.
In Us, the Tethered physically embody these suppressed memories. It’s forcing Adelaide to confront the past she’s tried to forget. The eventual revelation of Adelaide’s childhood trauma—her switch with Red—highlights the destructive effects of repression.
For Adelaide, her Tethered counterpart, Red, represents her unacknowledged fears and the parts of herself she has tried to forget. Red’s rise from the depths mirrors how suppressed childhood trauma, no matter how deeply buried, can resurface with violent intensity.
The idea that the impact of childhood trauma can fracture the self into different identities is explored through the stark contrast between Adelaide and Red. Adelaide, who has spent years repressing her childhood memories, lives a life of privilege and comfort, but her true self is split in two—one that is “normal” and one that is “Tethered.”
The “Tethered” are psychological reflections of Adelaide’s unresolved past, existing as a part of her psyche that she cannot escape. The film suggests that the impact of childhood trauma can show up as a fragmented sense of self, with parts of the individual unable to reconcile with the whole.
The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Family Relationships
Trauma often makes people feel isolated or push others away, and for Adelaide, it has turned her into a protective mother [3]. She’s scared of exposing her children to the same dangers she faced as a child, even if they don’t fully understand why.
The film contrasts the Wilson family with their Tethered counterparts, the Wilsons being a typical middle-class family and the Tethered being hollow, disconnected versions of them. The Tethered versions of Adelaide and Gabe seem devoid of the bonds that tie the real family together.
The Wilsons’ family bond is shaken when the Tethered return, showing the impact of childhood trauma on family connections. Adelaide’s refusal to face her past creates distance between her and those she loves, slowly pulling the family apart.
When Adelaide finally confronts her Tethered counterpart, Red, she begins to understand the impact of childhood trauma. In the film’s final moments, Adelaide doesn’t just face her past—she takes control of it, reclaiming her life and her family’s future.
The film suggests that trauma, when confronted head-on, can lead to growth and resolution, though it remains a difficult and painful process.
Overcoming The Impact of Childhood Trauma
Us uses its horror narrative to reflect the broader societal issues surrounding childhood trauma and healing. It is not just an individual struggle but a societal one. The Tethered, who live underground and are treated as subhuman, represent the marginalized and oppressed—those whose voices have been silenced and whose suffering is ignored by society.
In the final analysis, Us is a film about healing, though the path to recovery is fraught with horror and loss. It asks us to consider what happens when trauma is not dealt with, how it impacts both individuals and families, and how healing requires not just recognition but confrontation. Through Adelaide’s journey, Peele shows that while confronting the impact of childhood trauma can be terrifying, it is the only way to break free from its suffocating grip and move forward.
Sources
1. ResearchGate. Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care. April 2019
2. ResearchGate. Repression, defence, & the psychology of science. January 2015.
3. National Library of Medicine. The associations among childhood trauma, loneliness, mental health symptoms, and indicators of social exclusion in adulthood: A UK Biobank study. March 2023.
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