In the wake of 9/11: The psychology of terror.

Finding social benefits after a collective trauma: Perceiving societal changes and well‐being following 9/11

“…Religion serves as a resource for coping with trauma in a wide variety of ways (e.g., Vickberg et al, 2001;Walsh, King, Jones, Tookman, & Blizard, 2002; for a review, see Pargament, 1997), and feeling that religious beliefs are supported may enhance its effectiveness in general. However, a more direct explanation is provided by theory and research on terror management theory (TMT; Pyszczynski et al, 2003;Rosenblatt, Greenberg, Solomon, & Pyszczynski, 1989). Especially in the wake of a terror-inducing event like 9/11, increased national acceptance of religiosity could act as a form of support for a religious cultural worldview, thereby enhancing well-being.…”

“…In the years following 9/11, the nation experienced a shift towards political conservatism, including increased patriotism, support for the military, willingness to sacrifice personal liberties for national security, and support for President George W. Bush (e.g., Landau et al, 2004;Pyszczynski, Solomon, & Greenberg, 2003;Skitka, Bauman, & Mullen, 2004). In addition, the nation experienced an increase in religiosity, manifest after 9/11 briefly in the form of increased attendance at religious services (Pew, 2001) and lastingly in the form of increased public religious language and private religiosity or spirituality (TIME.com, 2006;Torabi & Seo, 2004).…”

Above and Below Left–Right: Ideological Narratives and Moral Foundations

“…There is also a growing body of work on ideology's interactions with Level 2 personal concerns and characteristic adaptations, such as attachment style (e.g., Weise et al, 2008), system justification processes (Jost, Banaji, & Nosek, 2004) and terror management theory (Pyszczynski, Solomon, & Greenberg, 2003). But psychologists have far less understanding of the Level 3 constructs that are so important in shaping opinions and attitudes and in drawing people into or out of political movements (Westen, 2007).…”

A prospective investigation of the relationship between just world beliefs and the desire for revenge post-September 11, 2001

“…For example, blood-donation centers were overwhelmed with donors, and Americans contributed millions of dollars to the victims of the attacks (Pyszczynski et al, 2003). Additionally, displays of American identification were widespreadstores could not keep American flags in stock, patriotic songs were commonplace on the radio, and New York citizens showed up for jury duty in record numbers (Fritsch, 2001;Pyszczynski et al, 2003). These responses are consistent with Allport's (1954) claim that threats to the group increase group cohesion.…”