What are the 3 different types of terrorism?
- Ethnic terrorism
- Ideological terrorism
- State-based terrorism
What is the difference between state terrorism and state-based terrorism?
- State terrorism is defined as, “the use of terror by a government against its own citizens” eg: Nazi Germany
- State-based terrorism is when a state foreign policy supports a terrorist organisation eg: Iran providing a safe haven to some members of Al-Quaeda during the early 2000s
What are the two types terrorism theories?
- Terror Management Theory (TMT)
- Cognitive behavioural theory
What was the original focus of Terror Management Theory?
Humans’ fear of their own vulnerability and eventual mortality - existential anxiety
Explain Terror Management Theory.
- People develop strong beliefs about how the world should be
- This allows people to feel important and that they contribute to a meaningful world, which gives them psychological security, but also a sense of superiority over others
- These beliefs relieve anxiety and are defended for psychological security
- When people challenge these beliefs, the individual is likely to respond negatively
- This negative reaction can be dealt with in one of four ways: derogation, assimilation, accommodation, or annihilation.
In terms of cognitive behavioural theory, what processes are key to developing and maintaining psychological issues arising from terrorism?
- Catastrophising
- Helplessness
- Rumination
How do people reduce the uncertainty explained in Uncertainty-Identity theory?
They self-categorise to a particular group
What is one of the main purposes of having a cultural worldview?
It provides answers to the questions of human origin and purpose, and thus, serve as coping mechanisms to personal uncertaintly
What are some of the typical characteristics of groups people often turn to when trying to mitigate existential anxiety?
- Idealised convictions about the self and the world
- Confidence
- Control
- Meaningfulness
- “Groupness”
- Cohesiveness
- Ideological orthodoxy
- Closed boundaries
- Hierarchical power
- Ethnocentric attitudes
- Support for radical action
What were the 3 main findings of Das et al. (2009) study on TMT and news?
1) The murder of Van Gogh and news reports of terrorism overseas increased death-related thoughts, which in turn predicted prejudice towards Arabs, but only after Van Gogh’s death.
2) News on a terrorist threat close by increase death-related thoughts, which in turn predicted implicit prejudice towards Arabs, but only in those with low self-esteem
3) The effect of terrorism news on prejudice against Arabs was replicated for non-Muslims. Also, it increased prejudice against Europeans for Muslim participants
“Terrorism news triggers an unconsciously activated fear of death, which then becomes the basis for judging outgroups”
What type of nervous system does fear make dominant?
Sympathetic nervous system
What are the two hormones that are released during a fear response?
Adrenaline and cortisol
What might be a biological cause of PTSD?
Individuals may have reduced activation of the HPA axis leads to reduced release of cortisol, which works to contain the sympathetic stress response.
The memory of the event becomes strongly encoded and associated with extreme subjective distress
Which phase of the terrorism response model is: “strong emotional reactions such as disbelief, numbness, fear and confusion.”
Phase 1
Which phase of the terrorism response model is: “active efforts to adapt to new environment, intrusive and hyperarousal symptoms present, anger irritability and social withdrawal”
Phase 2
Which phase of the terrorism response model is: “Disappointment and resentment as it becomes evidence that aid and restoration is unlikely to lead to complete return to pre-attack status.”
Phase 3
Which phase of the terrorism response model is: “Reconstruction phase typified by physical and emotional rebuilding, resumption of old roles, re-establishing social connections”
Phase 4
What percentage of refugees have experienced at least 1 traumatic event? What is the average number of traumatic events experienced by refugees?
- 90-95%
- 4
What is the national prevalence of PTSD? What is the rate for Defence Force personnel? What is the rate for refugees?
- 4.4%
- 8.3%
- 30%
What are some of the clinical challenges when working with severely traumatised refugees, as described by Maier (2015)?
- Very severe trauma
- Shattered assumptions about the trustworthiness of the world
- Loss of self-sameness/identity
- Physical disabilities and complaints
- Insecure residency permit status
- Cultural and social uprooting
- Survivor’s/perpetrator’s guilt
- Moral injury
What are 5 things you should focus on when providing CBT to traumatised refugees?
- Extend to psycho-educational element of therapy
- Explore their symptoms in their own words - makes them the master of their experience
- Explore the impact of their trauma on their role functioning
- Involve them in therapeutic goal-setting - likely to differ from what you think they’re goals will be
- Obtain supervision
What are some of the benefits of positive education?
- Promotes individual growth
- Teaches students how to make themselves contented
- Reduces depression
- Happy students make high achievers
- Makes teachers’ lives easier
- Increases student motivation
What are some of the benefits of the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP)?
- Reduces helplessness
- Reduces depression
- Reduces anxiety
- Reduces behavioural problems
What are 2 exercises used in the PRP?
- Three good things
- Using signature strengths in a new way
