Dealing with fear and stress caused by terrorism..
We are devastated with one terror attack before we are able to put out the fire of another. Tens of innocent lives are lost again, with that many more injured. Those of us left alive are helpless, shocked, saddened and lost. Lately, our country has unfortunately been experiencing these heinous terror attacks frequently and in the field of psychology, this is at the top of the list of "incidents that traumatize people". Since early modern ages these terrorist groups have shown themselves in various formats and have lately become more professional and deadly. (Bal, 2006).
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To better understand the issue, let's take a quick look at the meaning of terrorism:
Terrorism was derived from the word terror; which, among other things, means "to intimidate". The simplest definition of terrorism is the sense of adding a political content to terror. So terrorism, is partaking in violent acts such as murder or vandalism to draw attention to a social, religious, political and in fact psychological case or political agreement in order to create fear and helplessness in innocent civilians to "intimidate" them. Being oppressed by fear and horror (Bal, 2006, p. 7) may not always result in loss of life, however most of the attacks unfortunately cause loss of life and property. Terrorist groups have become progressively more violent and destructive. In the 19th century terrorists used to fight using simple weapons, whereas in the 20th century they have moved on to employing technology to damage thousands of lives.
In addition to physically and psychologically affecting its victims, terrorism also causes intense psychological trauma on a wider audience. One of the main sources of public unrest is the vast media coverage of terror and terrorism. This effect can be observed best in children. (Gökçe andDemiray, 2004 p. 74-75). It is almost impossible for most of us (except for experts in the field) to understand and give meaning to the acts of terrorists. These cases are beyond our normal conception and result in a serious of psychological incidents that create fear, helplessness, sensitivity and sadness. The true aim of terrorism is to plant seeds of fear and helplessness in citizens and using these factors to oppress the public as well as the government.
Due to threatening our physical and psychological integrity, terrorism is a psychological trauma. Trauma occurs unexpectedly outside our control and presents a threat to our existence. Shock in psychology (trauma) is the loss of one's sense of self, ability to resist, effectiveness and ability to think - which are all necessary for self-defense (Ferenczi, 2014, p. 11). Terror incidents, just as shock, always happen without warning or preparation. Anyone who personally experiences a horrible event or knows someone who does while saying "this can never happen to me" will lose their sense of security. As with every trauma, the result of terrorism is intense anxiety.
Post-traumatic reactions can be listed in three groups:
• Emotional: Sadness, anger, anxiety, shock, nervousness, pessimism.
• Physical: Body aches, fatigue, increased heart-rate, difficulty breathing, and irritation by loud noise.
• Behavioral: Insomnia, loss of appetite, becoming withdrawn and losing interest, attention.
Those exposed to trauma can be listed in four groups:
- Those who personally experience the crime and their close relatives and friends,
- Those who intervene,
- On-site witnesses to crime,
- Those who witness the crime from the media, etc.
Despite the obvious difference between those personally experiencing the crime and the final group, in terms of experiencing trauma a similar mechanism is in place for all four groups.
What can we do to deal with the stress and fear created by terrorism?
• One of the foremost conditions of dealing with the trauma caused by terrorism is to talk. Sharing one's feelings, fear and anxiety caused by the incident by talking about them will be beneficial in normalizing the current situation. Asking for a psychologist's support and talking to other people who have been victimized are suggested.
• Trying to get back to daily routines, refraining from avoidance (not going to places where terrorist attacks occur or even staying home)and trying to enjoy life again are important in this process.
• One of the most important factors in dealing with trauma is to leave everything to time and concentrate on positive thinking.
• Since the effect of media is huge in terrorism, keeping away from images of the attack will help in dealing with your situation and returning to normalcy.
Don't forget, the main aim of terrorist attacks is to suppress and intimidate the public!
In order not to give the attackers the satisfaction, we need to try to deal with the trauma caused by our situation and act against terrorism in unity!
Hoping this is the last terrorist attack we suffer, condolences to the entire nation!
Bibliography:
Bal, İ. (2006) Terörizm. Terör, Terörizm ve Küresel Terörle Mücadelede Ulusal ve Bölgesel Deneyimler. Ankara: USAK.
Ferenczi, S. (2014) Psikolojik Travma. İstanbul: Cem Psikoloji.
Gökçe, O. ve Demiray, U. (2004) Terörün Görüntüleri, Görüntülerin Terörü... Konya: Çizgi
Türk Dil Kurumu (2010) Türkçe Sözlük. Ankara: Atatürk Kültür, Dil ve Tarih Yüksek Kurumu Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları.