Based on G. H. Mead's identity theory, which posits that identity formation and social integration require a combination of adaptation and self-assertion, Christa Paul examines a life history interview with a woman who was under social control from 1936 to 1956 in this study. The author interprets the non-recognition of this woman as a victim of National Socialism as the culmination of a continuously experienced subjective failure of self-assertion throughout her life. Contextualizing the case study within the framework of residential care in the 1950s and 1960s leads to the consideration of state recognition of injustices perpetrated within the state's areas of responsibility as a condition that can promote identity formation and social integration.