A Systems Approach to International Disaster Psychology

Abstract

The burgeoning field of international disaster psychology has grown over the last 2 decades out of necessity and humanitarian concern, yet it lacks unity and perspective. This article describes the history of international disaster psychology and outlines the contemporary theories and approaches dominating the field, including the clinical, community mental health, and family models. It also sets out the domains of application, which involve people, disaster management processes, and core principles governing disaster management, itself. It goes on to highlight that these models of care and domains of application are presently incorporated in such a way that they often yield a variegated approach to international disaster psychology that too often leads to competition, redundancy, dependencies, and, moreover, lapses in care. In response to these limitations, the authors propose a systems approach to international disaster psychology that unifies both the existing theoretical foundations and the domains of application. Such an approach, it is argued, provides a more cohesive and integrative perspective and, furthermore, offers cultural latitude while simultaneously affirming basic psychological principles and practical issues around sustainability and ethical treatment in international disaster psychology.