Stress and Coping in Time of War: Generalizations From the Israeli Experience

Abstract

The purpose of this book is to examine the pattern of psychological and social stress in time of war as part of a general study of the consequences of catastrophic events, such as rape, war, cyclones, earthquakes, and incest. There are 34 authors, mostly Israeli, among whom are four Swedes and one American. They have made a profound effort to utilize the Israeli war experiences to understand war coping in an overall perspective. Much of their material also involves World Wars I and II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. There are sections on combat stress reaction and subsequent post-traumatic stress disorders, contrasting Americans in Vietnam and Israelis in Lebanon. Performance in highly stressful situations, such as combat, parachute jumping, solitary confinement, and climatic stress, is examined. Contributors discuss the psychological impact of terrorism on society in terms of what a country expects will happen and how it believes it