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Learning From The Past and Planning For The Future
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT November 8, 2002 "Thinking is one thing no one has ever been able to tax." - Charles Kettering
Short Subjects
LINKS Mental Health Moment Online
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
Basic and Advanced Critical Incident Stress Management Workshops
November 22-23, 2002
Holiday Inn
Casper, WY
Co-sponsored by:
Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health InstituteAnd Snowy Range A.S.I.S.T. CISM Team14 CEUs each
"Religious Aspects of Domestic Violence" November 24, 2002
Holiday Inn
Casper, WY
co-sponsored by:
Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health InstituteAnd The Governor's Domestic Violence Elimination (DoVE) Council4 CEUs
The Australasian Critical Incident
Stress Association Conference
The Right Response in the
21st Century
Location: Carlton Crest Hotel
Melbourne Australia
Friday October 3, 2003 thru
Sunday October 5, 2003
For further information
please contact the conference organisers
ammp@optushome.com.au Conference Website:
http://www.acisa.org.au/ conference2003/3rd Ibero-American Congress on
Clinical and Health Psychology
November 20 - 23, 2002
Location: Caracas, VENEZUELA
Contact: Zuleyma Perez
Alcabala a Puente Anauco
Edificio Puente Anauco Piso # 2
Apartamento # 27
La Candelaria, Caracas (Venezuela)
Tel./Fax: (+58) 212-5713060
Email: apicsavenezuela@cantv.net
apicsa@attglobal.net
2002 BERLIN CONFERENCE ON
THE HUMAN DIMENSIONS
OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
December 6 - 7, 2002
Location: Berlin, GERMANY
Contact: Frank Biermann, Chair
DVPW Environmental Policy and
Global Change Section
biermann@pik-potsdam.de or
Sabine Campe, Manager
2002 Berlin Conference
sabine.campe@pik-potsdam.de
VIII European Conference
on
Traumatic Stress (ECOTS)
May 22 - 25 2003
Location: Berlin
GERMANY
Contact:
Scientific Secretariat
VIII ECOTS Berlin 2003
c/o Catholic University of
Applied Social Sciences
Koepenicker Allee 39-57
D-10318 Berlin
Tel: +49-30-50 10 10 54
Fax: +49-30-50 10 10 88
E-mail:
trauma-conference@kfb-berlin.de
Deadlines:
Abstract Submission
30 November 200227th Congress of the
World Federation for
Mental Health
February 21-26, 2003
Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Contact: ICMS Pty Ltd
(Congress Secretariat)
84 Queensbridge Street
Southbank VIC 3006, Australia
Tel: 61 3 9682 0244
Fax: 61 3 9682 0288
E-mail: wfmh2003@icms.com.au
Annual Conference Society for
Industrial/Organizational Psychology (SIOP)
April 12 - 14, 2003
Location: Orlando, Florida
USA
Contact: lhakel@siop.bgsu.edu
WHAT'S IN THE NEWS: HONORABLE MENCIUS
According to the latest edition of "What's in the News," a current events series for schoolchildren produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting, as Chinese President Jiang Zemin prepares to turn over the government to a new generation of leaders, he's no doubt concerned about how history will treat him. The feeling is not new for a Chinese leader. In 221 BC, a warrior prince unified many kingdoms of eastern Asia and proclaimed himself to be the first Emperor of Qin. He had many advisors, but chose to ignore one of China's most famous scholars, Mencius, who believed that people were good at heart. Believing that most people tended to be bad, and fearing that historians would compare him unfavorably to past leaders, Qin ordered that all old books were to be burned. He later had 500 scholars buried alive because he believed they opposed his rule. Shortly after his death, the Chinese people rebelled against the Qin dynasty. This week, "What's in the News" takes a look at challenges facing new Chinese leaders. For more information, visit http://www.witn.psu.edu/articles/article.phtml?article_id=49&show_id=9
Preparing For The Next Tornado; Workshop On Wind-Resistant Construction Techniques
Taking steps to reduce damage from tornadoes and severe windstorms, mitigation experts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offered technical guidance at Wind-Resistant Construction Workshops held recently near Indianapolis. http://www.fema.gov/diz02/d1433n28b.shtm
Application Procedures Established For 2003 Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program
The program will be sponsored through a partnership between the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) -- United States Fire Administration's (USFA). Each organization will fund the tuition costs of two individuals for a total of eight fellowships. http://www.usfa.fema.gov/dhtml/media/02-208.cfm
Federal Agency Report Finds Public Mental Health System In Crisis
Public mental health systems are in crisis, unable to provide even the most basic mental health services and supports to help people with psychiatric disabilities become full members of the communities in which they live, according to a comprehensive federal report released this month by the National Council on Disability (NCD). Mental Health Weekly 12(37) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/442656_1
Nov 12 - 13: Crisis Management 2002, An IATA Air Transport Industry Conference & Exhibition, Vancouver, Canada
This multi-track conference will examine current issues in all aspects of aviation crisis management. The program has been developed by IATA Crisis Management Co-Ordination Group to consider the wide range of challenges faced by the aviation community when confronted with aircraft accidents, incidents, and other operational disruptions. For more information, visit http://www.iataonline.com
THE MEDICAL MINUTE: HOSPICE CARE TREND FILLED A VOID
When Elizabeth Kübler-Ross published "On Death and Dying," a 1969 book that raised the awareness of Americans about the emotional needs of dying patients and their families, she turned a spotlight on the work of Dame Cicely Saunders of the United Kingdom, and Florence Wald, then dean of the Yale University School of Nursing. Their work led to the establishment of the first hospice in Connecticut in 1974. Apparently the hospice concept filled a void, as evidenced by the establishment of roughly 2,300 hospices in the decades since then. Hospice care provides supportive social, emotional and spiritual treatment of terminally ill people. Hospice medical treatments center on palliative care to reduce or control pain, anxiety and other troubling symptoms. Hospice caregivers view death as a final stage to life that should be experienced to the fullest and shared by a circle of family and friends. For the full Medical Minute, a service of Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, with more information about hospice care, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2002/medicalminute011.html
Helping Children Cope in a Violent World
For inner-city kids, the anxieties of life seem to lurk around every corner -- from drugs to crime, gangs, and guns. Healthplan 43(4) 2002. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/442824
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy May Prevent Anxiety Disorders in At-Risk Children
Prevention may be the best approach to anxiety disorders in at-risk children, said Dr. Dina R. Hirshfield-Becker, here at the 49th annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Reuters Health Information 2002. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/443686?mpid=5721
Inscribed Bodies: Health Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse
This work is unique in portraying the transformation, within individuals, of experiences of sexual abuse into health problems. Medscape Women's Health eJournal 7(5) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/441913?mpid=4601
Clinical Update on the Treatment of Depression
Leading-edge treatments for depression. Depression is an international public health issue, with impairments in social and occupational functioning, increased comorbidity of psychiatric and medical conditions, and an increased risk of mortality among depressed individuals as a few of its consequences. Moreover, depression-related morbidity comes at a price to society -- the economic impact of depression on the US economy has been estimated at more than tens of billions of dollars. http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/2020
Treatment of Anxiety Disorders With Comorbid Depression
Understanding anxiety with depression. Given the sobering clinical implications of coexisting anxiety and depression, accurate diagnosis of comorbid conditions and effective treatment for both disorders are essential to improving treatment outcome for individuals experiencing concurrent anxiety and depression. http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/1925
Depressive Disorders in Asian-American Adults
Mr S is a 25-year-old man who immigrated from China 9 months ago with the hope of attaining financial security and bringing his family to the United States. He comes to a primary care clinic with a 6-month history of severe fatigue and sharp, fleetng chest discomfort that occurs most often when he tries to fall asleep. He has become increasingly concerned about the meaning of this pain. His sleep is disturbed, his appetite is poor, and he has difficulty concentrating at work. He has been working as a waiter in a restaurant for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week since his arrival. He attributes his physical symptoms to long working hours. West J Med 176(4) 2002. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/441700?mpid=4601
* * * * * * * * * * A limited number of scholarships are available for those in Wyoming who work in the Victim Service field (paid or volunteer) for the CISM Workshops (https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/news/casper-cism.html). When you call to register (307-766-2124, 1-877-733-3618, ext 1) ask about the scholarship. First come, first served. There are also scholarships available for the half day workshop on "Religious Aspects of Domestic Violence". Call now and reserve your space. CEUs are available for all workshops.
TRYING TO EXPLAIN TERRORISM
What makes terrorists enter a life whose primary goal is the spectacular violation of the ordinary rules of civilized behavior? What enables them to carry out murderous acts against innocent people without feeling that they have violated their own standards of moral conduct? Vital as they are to the understanding of terrorist behavior, these questions would be hard to answer even if all terrorists had the same political goals and the same ideological, religious, and national backgrounds.
Consideration of the specific mediating factors that lead some societies under pressure, among many, to produce the kinds of violent acts that we call 'terrorist' must address the problem of the terrorist's self-image and motivation and the cultural construction of individual motives under certain circumstances. Gayraud (1988) defines terrorism in terms of its methods rather than recognizing it as a political philosophy or an ideology thus allowing the stigmatization of a definite enemy. Terrorism is viewed as a new form of warfare that blurs the distinction between periods of hostilities and peace.
Miller (1988) reviewed the literature on terrorism. He identified two distinct perspectives - traditional and behaviorist. The traditional literature focuses on historical and normative- judicial/legal studies. The behaviorist literature encompasses psychological, socioeconomic, and public policy studies and attempts to systematically explore the causes of terrorism and the remedies and solutions to international terrorist events. Bandura (1990) explored the psychological mechanisms that enable terrorists to do what they do - in particular, to kill persons who are, by most criteria, not responsible for whatever wrong terrorists may be trying to right. McCauley and Segal (1989) present an overview of what is known about terrorist groups and their members, and then demonstrate how a social psychological framework can be useful in the analysis of terrorist behavior. They examined data and theory from three areas of research relevant to the social psychology of terrorist groups: religious conversion to cults, extremity shift of group opinions, and individual extremity shift in obedience studies.
Several aspects of terrorism seem susceptible to psychological inquiry. However, the aspect of terrorism that seems most suscepticle of all to such inquiry is the psychology of the terrorists themselves - their developments, motivations, personalities, decision-making patterns, behaviors in groups, and, some would argue, psychopathologies. Such inquiry, in practice, is often beset by problems that, in devious but powerful ways, limit, undermine, or even vitiate it. These problems, in the main, stem from too exclusive a focus on psychology itself or too narrow a definition of it (Reich, 1990).
Post (1990) argues for a special logic that characterizes terrorists' reasoning processes. He suggests that political terrorists are driven to commit acts of violence as a consequence of psychological forces, and that their special psycho-logic is constructed to rationalize acts they are psychologically compelled to commit. His principle argument is that individuals are drawn to the patch of terrorism in order to commit acts of violence, and their special logic, which is grounded in their psychology and reflected in their rhetoric, becomes the justification for their violent acts.
Brunet (1989) discusses the psychodynamics of terrorism within the theoretical framework of Freudian metapsychology and M. Klein's (1923) concept of "good" and "bad" internal objects. The same intrapsychic mechanisms are essentially at work in those who witness and those who perpetrate terrorist acts. Terrorists represent Klein's schizoparanoid position, in contrast to the more mature and enlightened depressive position. Terrorists' compulsion to destroy the good internal objects in themselves and others becomes irreversible after they destroy real instead of fantasy objects. The position of those who witness terrorist acts is more ambivalent, alternating between identification with the victims and with the aggressors.
Saper (1988) reviewed various explanations of terrorism, focusing on social learning hypotheses that emphasize cognitive-behavioral conditioning. He suggests, based on psychological studies, that the commitment to terrorism is largely produced, intensified, and sustained through learning. He describes conditioning techniques used to indoctrinate and train in the ways of violence and terror. Saper also notes doctrines that have spawned and sustained the funding and training in guerilla warfare and revolution. He assesses political-military methods for attempting to combat terrorism and argues that cognitive-behavior modification (counterconditioning), if properly programmed and used in conjunction with other procedures, may be successful in combating and preventing terrorism.
Victims of human-induced disasters differ from victims of natural disasters in terms of emotional phases, psychological symptoms, and social processes following the disaster. There are two basic types of human-made disasters - acts of omission and acts of commission. Acts of omission result from attempts to save money, resources, or time or as a result of negligence or disconcern (e.g., exposure to toxic substances). Acts of commission result from directed, violent actions (e.g, kidnapping, terrorism). Each type have four stages which can be designated as initial shock and disbelief (impact), fright, anger or depression, and reorganization. However, the consequences of acts of omission and commission differ in terms of phases, symptoms, and social processes. The primary difference is in the initial impact of the disaster. With acts of omission, the initial impact is significantly less than that occurring in acts of commission. Victims are often not aware they are victims until a disaster (e.g., toxic waste) is made public. However, social processes for victims of acts of omission and commission are similar. For both groups, there is the tendency to receive less emotional support than for victims of natural disasters (Beigel and Berren, 1985).
Motivations
Drawing on a vast range of sources, including world literature, history, anthropology, clinical case studies, and the daily news, Berke (1988) reveals the subtle yet powerful roles that malice plays in the lives of individuals and families, societies and nations. With examples as varied as Iago, Ivan Boesky, J. Edgar Hoover, and the Hell's Angels, Berke explores the driving forces behind unusually greedy, spiteful, and destructive behavior. He also shows how envy, greed, and jealousy beget universal impulses to wreak revenge and to seek conformity (for fear of the "evil eye"). He goes on to examine how malicious feelings are fostered and expressed in conflicts within families and how they erupt onto the larger stage of society in computer sabotage, yellow journalism, and terrorism. Envy, greed, and jealousy can also engender destructive tensions between nations - not least between wealthy, industrialized ones and those of the Third World. Berke suggests that gratitude, generosity, and compassion can act as healing counterparts to the dark emotional forces that complicate lives. The group self, the need to have enemies and allies and the personal pathway model of a terrorist self and intergroup unconscious action delegation messages about guilt and sacrifice contribute to the terrorist profile.
Rubin and Friedland (1986) discuss the motivation of terrorists and the effect of terrorism on the public. They propose that terrorists attempt to amplify their impact on society by grasping public attention, giving terrorist actions clear symbolic significance, and involving innocent figures in terrorist acts that are sure to evoke strong emotions from the public at large. Terrorism is seen as a metaphor for the theater, with the terrorist act serving as a carefully scripted "performance" designed to stimulate the attention of the public to the terrorist cause. Rubin and Friedland suggest that, in attempting to resolve terrorist threats, it is important to distinguish terrorist positions from interests, moving from the former to the latter in negotiations. They recommend that negotiations be conducted out of view of the public and news media to reduce the chance of either party appearing weak in front of the public and to deprive terrorists of their audience. Rubin and Friedland conclude that both governments and terrorist organizations must work to understand better the interests they share to increase public exposure to terrorist causes while decreasing needless destruction. The 1985 Achille Lauro ship hijacking is one illustration of the failure of the terrorist act due to several such factors.
Altman and Hickson-Laknahour (1986) describe the use of trained psychodramatists to assume roles in a 15-hr counter-terrorism training simulation. The training was conducted by the US Army with support from the psychodrama section of a psychiatric hospital. Recommendations are made regarding deroling, processing, and planning for the emotional well-being of the role players. A case example of hostage (role player) responses illustrates the group dynamics and the degree of stress involved. It is cautioned that role training for counter-terrorist situations must be done in a way that insures safety and effectiveness.
Developmental factors play a major role in the life of terrorists. Olsson (1988) developed a speculative and theoretical framework to assist in understanding the intrapsychic and group dynamic depth psychology matrix for the motivations behind a terrorist act. Olsson summarizes what is known about the childhood and adolescent development of terrorists and the effects on child development in countries where terrorism and terror are a day-to-day reality.
Extreme Approaches
Taylor and Ryan (1988) suggest exploring the link between fanaticism and other psychological processes, such as prejudice and authoritarianism. Some examples of fanatical behavior include: self-immolation, Islamic terrorism, the kamikaze, and hunger strikes. One kind of fanatical act is suicide to achieve some political or war end, which may have links with terrorism. The term fanatic also suggests ways in which this concept might reflect an understanding of terrorist behavior. Dale (1988) demonstrates that the suicidal attack has been used repeatedly over centuries by Muslims in 3 Asian Muslim communities to attack militarily superior European and American colonial powers. A study of such incidents establishes a basis for understanding the attitudes of Middle Eastern Muslims, provides insights into the dynamics of terrorist attacks, and illustrates the necessity of political solutions to the problems of terrorism in both Asia and the Middle East.
Linn (1988) focuses on motivation of soldiers to fight against terrorists and discusses the specific nature of this type of war as compared to a conventional war. The interplay of the justice laws of war and the different types of fighting against terrorists are explored. On a practical level, Linn presents the specific example of the Israeli approach to fighting the terrorists and discusses the experience of soldiers who refused to fight in the Lebanese war and the socio-moral factors that discouraged them.
Conclusions
It is difficult to understand terrorism without psychological theory, because explaining terrorism must begin with analyzing the intention of the terrorist actor and the emotional reactions of the audiences. It is important to identify and to propose research questions about terrorism that psychological research might be most helpful in answering. Such research needs to be both interesting for students of terrorism and appropriate for psychological approaches to questions of individual motivation, the group and the resort to terrorism, society and the causes of terrorism, determinants of the process of terrorism, and the consequences of terrorism.
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REFERENCES Altman, Kerry P; Hickson-Laknahour, Holly (1986). New roles for psychodramatists in counter-terrorism training. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry. Vol 39(2), Sum 1986, pp. 70-77.
Bandura, Albert (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Beigel, Allan; Berren, Michael (1985). Human-induced disasters. Psychiatric Annals. Vol 15(3), pp. 143-150.
Berke, Joseph (1988). The tyranny of malice: Exploring the dark side of character and culture. Individual & Family Psychotherapist, London, England. New York, NY, US: Summit Books. 446 pp.
Brunet, Louis (1989). The phenomenon of terrorism and its effects upon internal objects/Le phenomene terroriste et ses effets sur les objets internes. Revue Quebecoise de Psychologie. Vol 10(1), 1989, pp. 2-15.
Dale, Stephen F (1988). Religious suicide in Islamic Asia: Anticolonial terrorism in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Journal of Conflict Resolution. Vol 32(1), Mar 1988, pp. 37-59.
Jean-Francois (1988). Defining terrorism: Is it possible, is it desirable?/Definir le terrorisme: Est-ce possible, est-ce souhaitable? Revue Internationale de Criminologie et de Police Technique. Vol 41(2), Apr-Jun 1988, pp. 185-202.
Klein, M. (1923). The development of a child. US: Univ of Illinois Press. pp. 419-474.
Linn, Ruth (1988). Terrorism, morality and soldiers' motivation to fight: An example from the Israeli experience in Lebanon. Terrorism. Vol 11(2), 1988, pp. 139-149.
McCauley, Clark R; Segal, Mary E (1989). Terrorist individuals and terrorist groups: The normal psychology of extreme behaviorIn: Groebel, Jo (Ed); Goldstein, Jeffrey H. (Ed). (1989). Terrorism: Psychological perspectives. Series of psychobiology (pp. 39-64). Sevilla, Spain: Publicaciones de la Universidad de Sevilla. 171 pp.
Miller, Reuben (1988). The literature of terrorism. Terrorism. Vol 11(1), 1988, pp. 63-87.
Olsson, Peter (1988). The terrorist and the terrorized: Some psychoanalytic consideration. Journal of Psychohistory. Vol 16(1), Sum 1988, pp. 47-60.
Post, Jerrold (1990). Terrorist psycho-logic: Terrorist behavior as a product of psychological forces. In: Reich, Walter (Ed). Origins of terrorism: Psychologies, ideologies, theologies, states of mind. Woodrow Wilson Center series (pp. 25-40). New York, NY, US: Cambridge University Press.
Reich, Walter . (1990). Mechanisms of moral disengagement. In: Reich, Walter (ED.) (1990) Origins of terrorism: Psychologies, ideologies, theologies, states of mind. Woodrow Wilson Center series (pp. 161-191). New York, NY, US: Cambridge University Press.
Reich, Walter (1990). Understanding terrorist behavior: The limits and opportunities of psychological inquiry. In: Reich, Walter (ED.) (1990) Origins of terrorism: Psychologies, ideologies, theologies, states of mind. Woodrow Wilson Center series (pp. 161-191). New York, NY, US: Cambridge University Press.
Rubin, Jeffrey Z; Friedland, Nehemia (1986). Theater of terror. Psychology Today. Vol 20(3), pp. 18-28.
Saper, Bernard (1988). On learning terrorism. Terrorism. Vol 11(1), 1988, pp. 13-27.
Taylor, Maxwell; Ryan, Helen (1988). Fanaticism, political suicide and terrorism. Terrorism. Vol 11(2), 1988, pp. 91-111.
Toeloelyan, Khachig (1989). Narrative culture and the motivation of the terrorist. In: Shotter, John (Ed); Gergen, Kenneth J. (Ed). (1989). Texts of identity. Inquiries in social construction series, Vol. 2 (pp. 99-118). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc.
To search for books on disasters and disaster mental
health topics, leaders, leadership, orgainizations,
crisis intervention, leaders and crises, and related
topics and purchase them online, go to the following url:
https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/searchbooks.html
RECOMMENDED VIEWING
NEW FACE OF TERRORISM
VHS - Investigative Reports
Reviewer: A viewer from LISBON, PORTUGAL
Basically my interest is directed to know how terrorist groups operate, what are their most common targets, why, and what are their most recognisable type of signatures, such as bombings, kidnappings and so on. I am also interested in situations involving only one or more terrorist who act alone and only by special or personal motivations, for example the attempt against President Reagan.
FRONTLINE - IN SEARCH OF BIN LADEN (2001)
VHS - Frontline
Editorial Review
This completely updated version of the Frontline 1999 documentary Hunting bin Laden is a reporting collaboration with The New York Times. It features a new introduction by journalist Bill Moyers, who discusses the tragic terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001.
In Search of bin Laden provides background and insight into bin Laden's life and motives, from his formative experience in the Afghan jihad against the Soviets, to the 1998 bombings of two United States embassies in Africa and his statements and fatwahs calling for the murder of Americans. This updated version features current information on bin Laden's believed role in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, an interview with Times reporter Judith Miller, and a new interview with former State Department counterterrorism official Larry Johnson.
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Contact your local Mental Health Center or
check the yellow pages for counselors, psychologists,
therapists, and other Mental health Professionals in
your area for further information.
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George W. Doherty
Rocky Mountain Region
Disaster Mental Health Institute
Box 786
Laramie, WY 82073-0786
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT Online: https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/news
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