This chapter establishes a robust conceptual foundation for understanding remote exposure to trauma (RET) by surveying and synthesizing relevant psychological frameworks. It distinguishes RET from vicarious, secondary, and direct trauma while drawing on models such as empathy, social cognitive theory, and stress-and-coping theory. The chapter introduces remote trauma (RT) as a bridging concept that resists traditional trauma categorizations, emphasizing the interplay of emotional proximity and psychological ownership. It also incorporates insights from diaspora studies and trauma theory to contextualize RET as a response shaped by identity, meaning-making, and collective memory. The frameworks presented here equip readers with tools to interpret the experiences explored in the empirical chapters that follow. The chapter concludes by situating RET within broader debates in psychology, noting both its conceptual novelty and practical relevance.