Costa Rica

This chapter analyzes the trajectory of the major political parties in Costa Rica: PLN, PUSC, PAC, and, more briefly, ML and Frente Amplio. The chapter reviews the critical effect of the 1948 civil war on the consolidation of Trauma. It also shows how the effect on vibrancy of Trauma—that is, collective suffering—differs from the effect of individual (still, political) suffering. The long-term trajectory of the PLN illustrates the gradual erosion of Trauma and the loss of Purpose. The chapter further discusses how the intersection of Channels of Ambition and moderate Exit Barriers engenders a weaker level of vibrancy. Finally, the analysis of the PUSC is one of the clearest examples of rapid organizational deterioration, and the first years of the PAC as a party organization highlight the challenges of consolidating a vibrant party in the absence of a defined Purpose.