Patterns in response to chronic terrorism threats: A construct of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses among Israeli citizens

Abstract

Israeli citizens are exposed to unpredictable and chronic terrorism threats that significantly jeopardize their personal sense of safety. The purpose of the present study is to present how Israeli discourse is structured with regard to emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to chronic terrorism threats and to understand the range of responses as well as map the risk and protective factors of this existential threat. Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 Israeli adults (22 women and 18 men). Qualitative analysis revealed three patterns of responses to ongoing terrorism: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. Emotional responses include fear, worry, sense of empathy, and detachment. Cognitive responses include situational assessment and pursuit of solutions, the use of traumatic imagining, beliefs in fate and luck, and optimism. Behavioral responses include looking for information, alertness, and habituation. The findings also revealed another response, which combines cognitive and behavioral responses. Some of the responses are innovative and unique to the threat of terrorism. Mapping the responses revealed mental health risk factors, as well as protective factors that can help structure personal and national resilience. These findings have implications on the treatment and prevention of personal and social pathologies, and how to effectively cope with terrorism threats.

Differences in post-traumatic growth: Individual quarantine, COVID-19 duration and gender

“…Those studies compared two waves of the pandemic and indicated that PTG increased from one wave to the next ( Feingold et al, 2022 ). These findings are in line with the general research on continuous traumatic/stressors situations, indicating that the effects of exposure to ongoing mass traumas such as terrorism are positively associated with positive outcomes and PTG ( Laufer and Solomon, 2006 ; Cohen-Louck and Saka, 2017 ). When coping with continuous uncertainty and existential threats, people tend to engage in psychological processes that facilitate a sense of coherence and understanding of these continuous adversities ( Veronese et al, 2017 ).…”

An Israeli Model for Predicting Fear of Terrorism Based on Community and Individual Factors

“…Believing in an omnipotent God affords an all-encompassing view of reality that explains reality and enables people to believe that they can control their surroundings (including uncontrollable events) by currying favor with beings more powerful than themselves who can do things they themselves cannot (Vail et al, 2010). Especially in uncontrollable situations such as terrorism, people turn to the one whom they perceive as having control (Cohen-Louck & Saka, 2017; Solomon & Berger, 2005).…”

A Model for Predicting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder due to Exposure to Chronic Political Violence: Big Five Personality Traits, Ego-Resiliency, and Coping

“…Coping with chronic political violence may be different in a few respects. For one, chronic political violence is somewhat more predictable than a one-off terror event ( Cohen-Louck & Levy, 2020 ), may result in habituation over time ( Cohen-Louck & Saka, 2017 ), and may thus be associated with lower use of coping strategies ( Cohen-Louck & Ben-David, 2017 ), at least for some individuals. Normalization of living under continuous political violence may be more plausible for emotionally stable individuals, whereas neurotic ones may become even less balanced than usual and continue their unsuccessful efforts to cope.…”