Reactions to disaster at a distance. The first week after the earthquake in Soviet Armenia.
Armenian-American adolescents from a Los Angeles school were interviewed during the first week after the massive earthquake in Soviet Armenia in December 1988. The authors describe their observations: All the adolescents strongly identified with the victims and felt that the catastrophe personally affected them; they all rushed into hectic activities to escape intolerable grief reactions; there was strong group pressure to accelerate helping efforts; the catastrophe was experienced as fortifying group cohesion; and there was a distinct preference to preserve and strengthen communal values, even over and above helping the earthquake victims. In particular, the authors observed the phenomenon of "participation envy," a special form of survivor guilt involving envious resentment at being excluded from a unique and rallying communal experience.
Yacoubian
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VV
Hacker
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FJ
D000293:Adolescent; D001136:Armenia / Q000208:ethnology; D004190:Disasters; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D006117:Grief; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D007578:Jealousy; D012919:Social Behavior; D012933:Social Identification; D014481:United States