Lecture
Terrorist acts can have serious psychological consequences for victims, witnesses, and society as a whole. These consequences can take various forms and can affect mental health over a long period of time. Here are some of the psychological consequences of terrorism:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Many people who have encountered terrorist acts may develop PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD include recurrent memories of the events, nightmares, anxiety, and avoidance of events or places associated with the attack.
Anxiety and depression: Victims and witnesses of terrorist acts may experience intense anxiety and depression. These emotional states may be accompanied by insomnia, loss of interest in life, and a worsening of overall mood.
Heightened anxiety and fears: Terrorist events can cause people to develop heightened anxiety and fear of future attacks. This can affect quality of life and social activity.
Deterioration of interpersonal relationships: The psychological consequences of terrorism can lead to conflicts and a deterioration of relationships within the family and among friends. People may experience irritability and aggression.
Lowered self-esteem: Victims of terrorist acts may experience lowered self-esteem due to a sense of meaninglessness and helplessness in the face of such events.
Cultural and religious consequences: Terrorist acts can give rise to bias and negative attitudes toward certain cultures and religions, which can lead to conflict and division within society.
Loss of meaning and significance: People may begin to doubt the meaning of life and their values because of terrorist attacks.
Increased consumption of alcohol and drugs: Some people may turn to alcohol or drugs to cope with their emotional suffering.
Basic characteristics of terrorism.
1. Absence of warning. A warning allows a person
to take protective psychological or physical action
2. Serious threat to personal safety. It is known that when a person’s
health is put at risk, the appearance of psychological
symptoms in the future becomes possible.
3. The possibility of finding oneself in a dangerous situation. The risk of psychological
ill health affects not only direct participants but also those who responded to
it.
4. Psychological vulnerability, which worsens overall
health. People whose health deteriorated during a terrorist act
are in a zone of heightened psychological danger.
5. Likelihood of recurrence. Terrorist acts produce a feeling
of insecurity about the recurrence of similar events. This can happen
again, it can happen anywhere.
6. Unknown probable health consequences. Anxiety
caused by the likelihood of prolonged unknown effects on people’s
health
Symbolism in the terrorists’ choice of target. Terrorists do not choose
their victims at random – the main criterion is the symbolic significance of the target.
Public buildings symbolize power, stability, and grandeur.
It has been established that 40% of terrorism victims experience a deterioration in mental
health. Psychological assistance is required by 20% of rescuers.
The consequences of terrorism differ in that several
years may pass before a victim becomes aware of having a psychological trauma, as
a consequence of the terrorist act, and seeks help.
Degree of exposure. Related to the individual’s proximity to the site of danger,
or the more direct the action of this agent, the more this determines
the likelihood of developing clinical symptoms
The significance of the loss and its consequences
Loss can be understood in different ways. It is usually thought that people
who have lost what is dearest to them, and whose grief is evident, are those who have lost members
of their family, close friends, and so on. Types of loss: physical working capacity as a
result of injury, loss of employment due to the destruction of enterprises, loss
of economic and social standing.
early and skillful intervention and assistance
the inviolability of what constitutes the foundation of the individual’s life (school,
family, church, work)
the individual’s ability to analyze the event, become aware of and make sense of
the losses
The specific nature of how victims of terrorism experience it
uniqueness of the experience: there are few situations in life in
which a person undergoes the very same thing;
it is a terrible thought that you are playing the role of a pawn in a game, outside of their
control, outside of their understanding;
the victim feels humiliated and of no value whatsoever;
between the victim and the terrorist a dependency sometimes forms and
the victim sees the terrorist as her protector. «Stockholm syndrome».
For the victim, such a bond serves a protective function, easing
the feeling of fear and helplessness. Nevertheless, after the incident this
dependency can turn into a source of guilt, which can undo
all attempts at treatment;
The situation includes an element of complete surprise, which cannot
fail to produce an intense feeling of helplessness and anxiety;
A double trauma arises from the utter confusion caused by the political
rhetoric and exorbitant demands of the terrorists, for whom
the victim has no value other than being a pledge for
achieving their goal. The victim feels her own uselessness, both to the terrorists
and to the authorities. The likelihood that the authorities will break off negotiations and move
to an armed, forceful intervention creates a sense of
double trauma from the danger looming on the side of the terrorists and on the
side of the authorities. At the same time, the victim’s life at that moment depends on
the terrorists, while ultimate rescue depends on the authorities. This situation of double
dependency for the victim is often precisely that rare pathological factor
that is placed at the forefront in subsequent treatment
Social consequences are various kinds of losses inflicted on the
individual’s property. The person is confronted with the problem of there being no person
or organization to pay compensation. Recognition
of terrorism and its victims as a social problem is hindered by the fact that,
from a legal standpoint, terrorism is equated with crime. Nevertheless,
terrorism and crime are two distinct actions directed
against public order. Crime fears society’s reaction,
whereas terrorism is precisely seeking it. Terrorism targets society as a whole.
In countries confronted with political terrorism, this
problem would be recognized as social only if there
existed a practical, effective, and convenient solution to it. The absence
of such a solution leads to a fatalistic approach to terrorism. This
fatalism can be reinforced by the mass media.
The ambivalent attitude toward terrorism that they promote plays its
role in shaping public opinion. By portraying terrorism as
a widespread phenomenon that can neither be suppressed nor
controlled, the mass media reduce the readiness
to fight it or hinder efforts to eradicate it.
Thus, recognizing the victims of terror as people embodying
a particular social problem is prevented by the following
political and financial considerations, as well as considerations arising
from the system of values in society.
Considerations reflecting the system of values in society. Terrorism
is a value judgment. Everyone has their own notion of terrorism. It is rather
relative than absolute, and temporary rather than permanent. People
who were once considered terrorists have become heads of state.
People who are considered terrorists in one place are revered as
heroic freedom fighters in another place, or by other people. The notion of
“victim of terror” is not neutral; it reflects the innocence and victimhood
of those who have suffered from such acts, representing society as a whole.
Victims of terrorism are like soldiers who take upon themselves the fire
of an enemy army. If society is indebted to its soldiers, then it is
indebted to the victims of terror as well, for both serve the whole of society.
Society must treat the victims of terror properly, paying
tribute to their personal losses.
Political considerations. When the state assumes
responsibility for the outcome of terrorist attacks and the fate of the victims, it thereby shows
that terrorism not only exists but has reached dangerous proportions and
therefore warrants a legislative and institutional response.
Such recognition could lead to undesirable political
consequences. Herein lies the main reason that lawmakers do not
want to recognize terrorism as a social problem.
Financial considerations. Crime carries direct and
indirect socio-economic costs. The costs incurred as a
result of terrorist actions are higher and less
predictable. Costs are high because terrorism targets
costly objects; they are unpredictable because unexpectedness is
the terrorists’ weapon and at the same time a hindrance for the state, forcing it
to remain in a state of pervasive, costly, and constant
readiness.
The psychological consequences of terrorism can be serious and long-lasting. It is important to provide psychological support to victims and to society as a whole, as well as to carry out measures for the prevention and prevention of terrorist acts.
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