| 9/11 - psychological goal of terrorists not being achieved, says trauma psychologist Two years after the worst terrorist act on US soil, America is winning the psychological battle of fear, according to trauma psychologist Robert R. Butterworth Ph.D. "The American psyche is bruised but not disabled. We've picked-up the pieces of our lives and are moving forward. People may be still angry and a little fearful as we pause to remember the September 11th anniversary on Thursday but surveys show that the psychological goals of the terrorists who attacked the US have not been achieved," stated Mr. Butterworth, who adds: "Remember the psychological goal of the terrorists; not just to topple buildings but destroy our way of life. In this they have failed!" The trauma psychologist believes that in order to win this psychological battle of fear, it's important for people not to get swept up in unsubstantiated rumours of destruction and doom, and not to panic and give into hysteria since uncertainty concerning future acts of terrorism in the US breeds fear and a new type of anxiety not seen in past disasters - "anticipatory anxiety." "During this period of uncertainty since 9/11 in a psychological sense, it's what we don't know and fantasise about that can hurt us. The adage, ‘The only fear is fear itself,’ rings true, especially in this case. Fantasy breeds fear and anxiety," says Butterworth. Butterworth believes that, "Terrorist psychology as a method of societal destabilisation is more concerned with the perception of reality rather than reality itself. Thus it's not surprising that anticipatory anxiety can be more psychologically damaging to a society than the actual reality that does unfold."
•Date:
9th September 2003 • Region: N.America
•Type: Article •Topic:
Terrorism
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