28th International Congress of Psychology August 8 ... - U-netSURF

5064.1 Terrorism and mental health: A study of Kashmir valley, W. Khan, Jamia Millia Islamia
University, Jamia Nagar, India
Since 1988, terrorism and violence have taken its toll in the ever-beautiful valley of Kashmir.
Whatever may be the reasons, it has resulted in emotional distortion, feelings of insecurity,
uncertainty, economic instability and unpredictable future for younger generation. No doubt
terrorism creates a psychological state of extreme fear and anxiety totally out of proportion to the
physical damage in terms of loss of life and property, not only for the intended victim and his
family but also for the entire community. People are tired of unending violence, which has ruined
everything, including their psychological health. This paper highlights the impact of terrorism and
violence on mental health and coping mechanisms adopted by people of Kashmir.
5064.2 The impact of U.S. anti-terrorism efforts in Iraq: A qualitative study of terrorist
motivation in Afghanistan and Iraq, M. Wessells, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia,
USA
Two studies conducted July-September, 2003 in Kabul and Baghdad analyzed how the war and
occupation had increased terrorist motivations among the general population. Pro-Taliban and
anti-Taliban Afghans saw the war as unjustified, the occupation as mishandled, and the war and
occupation motivated by U. S. desire for oil or to dominate Muslim people. Because of
lawlessness and lack of electricity, Iraqis said their lives had worsened, and significant numbers of
youth said they now supported violence against the U. S. These studies point out the limits of
current U. S. approaches to preventing terrorism in Iraq.
5064.3 The impact of violence on children: Community-based strategies for psycho-social
intervention, K. Kathleen, Erikson Institute, Chicago, IL, USA
Increasing numbers of children worldwide are exposed to violence on a large scale. Research
findings on the social and emotional impact of violence on young children -- including child abuse,
family violence, and community violence, will be presented from a recent U.S. study. In addition,
the mediating role of protective and risk factors in the family and community on children’
reactions to violence will be presented. Finally, findings from an innovative community-based
program-- Safe from the Start -- to prevent and mitigate the effects of violence on young children
by providing a wide range of community and mental health services will be discussed.
5064.4 Societies in transition – Including the perspective of psychological repair in transitional
processes, N. Sveaass, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
This paper discusses the challenge that societies in transition are facing when dealing with the
human rights violations of the past. During the last decades there has been a growing emphasis on
justice, accountability, documentation and reporting with regard to human rights abuses in the
wake of war and conflict. The transitional processes represent important challenges not only to
international law but also to psychology. Impunity to perpetrators of HRV has been criticized from
a perspective both of human rights and psychological repair. The paper explores the relation
between transitional responses and repair, and whether some strategies are more beneficial than
others.
5064.5 The language of terrorism, D. Bretherton, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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