Yasmine Artis

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1102-058
31 March 2015
Research Summaries

Gipson, Caitlin. "The Psychology of Unity after Tragedy." APU Articles. Azusa Pacific
University, 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.
Caitlin Gipson is freelance writer, search engine optimizer, and marketing
consultant in Reedley, California. In her article featured in the APU (Azusa Pacific
University) Articles she opens with an introduction that is sure to catch your
attention. She reminds her readers of the devastating events of Oklahoma City,
Boston, Sandy Hook, and Aurora. How news services and social media overflowed
with negative post that all reflect shock and horror. She then informs readers of a
positive counterpoint that emerges through such tragedies; the nation pulls
together.
Throughout the article, Gipson brings many psychology educators into her
discussion to help explain the reasoning for the nation uniting after tragic events
happen. Joy Bustrum, a professor and clinical psychologist, reflects back to a 1990
study that test whether humans help each other out of genuine empathy or for selfinterest. The test observed peoples responses to watching test subjects receive
electric shocks over and over. The results showed that help arises from true
compassion and not just from concern of ones own comfort. When bad things
happen, the community pulls in closer. Differences that would normally cause

division become less important, says Marjorie Graham-Howard, Ph.D, chair of the
Department of Graduate Psychology. For example, she says, If your house is
floating away, no one cares who you voted for.
Other quotes: It is clear that humans are built with a natural physical incentive for
altruism. The effect a tragedy has on an individuals emotions depends largely
upon how much that person identifies with the victim.
This article went beyond my inquiry question of what good can arise form
horrific situations. It went in depth to explain what causes communities of people to
come together to make light out of dark circumstances. The article over all was an
easy read, it was easy to follow and understand. I would recommend this piece of
writing to anybody who is researching questions similar to mine, as it gives a good
amount of information and there is research to back it up.

Winuk, Jay S. "Turning Tragedy into Something Positive." United We Serve. N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Mar. 2015.
Jay Winuk is the co-founder and Vice President of MyGoodDeed and the 9/11 National
Day of Service. He writes, in Turning Tragedy into Something Positive, his reasoning behind the
start of these two organizations. In his first paragraph, he highlights how everyone is faced with
tragedy in their lives and how everyone handles these tragedies differently. At once he found it
difficult to understand how people were able to turn personal tragedy into something positive.
Now he is doing so while encouraging others to turn tragedy into something positive as well.
On September 11th, 2001, Jay Winuk lost his brother (Glenn Winuk) in the terrorist attack
on the World Trade Center. Glenn Winuk was a highly decorated man; he was a volunteer
firefighter and EMT in their hometown of Jericho, NY, also a fire commissioner and officer of

Engine Company 2. Glenn loved his job although it sometimes required for him to put his life at
risk. Jay finds it amazing how his brother would put his life on the line for people he didnt even
know. Because of this he decided to do something to honor and remember Glenn. Jay Winuk and
friend, David Paine, then founded the organization MyGoodDeed and together they worked to
make 9/11 a national day of service. MyGoodDeed encourages people to engage in service or
good deeds not only on the anniversary of 9/11, but throughout the entire year.
Other quotes: Somewhere along the way, we all face tragedy in our lives. Few are spared.
People handle tragedies, though, in different ways. I often marveled at but was somewhat
puzzled by those who found ways to turn personal tragedy into something positive. But now I
understand. As the ninth, and then the 10th, anniversary of 9/11 approach, Im reminded as I
am always this time of year about the millions who stepped forward to help in the face of tragedy
for months after the attacks. Not just the highly trained first responders like Glenn, but people
from all walks of life, regardless of age, sex, religion, ethnicity, economic status, geographic
location, political preference and other factors which frequently separate us.

This piece was a short, easy read. It got straight to the point; provided some meaningful
background information then went on to explain the purpose of it. This entry relates to my
inquiry question because it provides an answer in the form of a person experience. Personal
experiences help to take research to another level. It helps to add life to a research paper.

Gallagher, Richard, and Anna Chase. "Building Resilience in Children in the Face of
Fear and Tragedy." Missouri 4-H - University of Missouri Extension. N.p., n.d.
Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

Article, Building Resilience in Children in the Face of Fear and Tragedy,

focuses mainly on the effect tragedy has on children. The writers emphasize how
tragedy happens expectantly. How typical, everyday activities could be fraught
with unexpected danger. Not only do adults need help coping with surprise
detrimental events, children need assistance in dealing with these situations as
well. Research on how children are likely to overcome catastrophic events shows
that they are able to emerge from horrific experiences with positive outcomes. They
are capable of becoming more resilient, that they are able to better handle certain
situations. Writers Richard Gallagher and Anna Chase state, Many children who
have experienced tragedy or witnessed life-threatening events emerge with a
positive outlook on life, have a good capacity to form positive, fulfilling
relationships, achieve a high level of personal success, and develop effective
resources for dealing with future negative events. Following this quote they begin
to list suggested ways to help children cope with tragedy. Some of those
suggestions include, ensuring the childs safety, informing them on ways to calm
their selves, and helping them to establish a close relationship with an adult.
Other quotes: Children and youth are generally optimistic; they have a natural
tendency to see the future positively and expect that their experiences will be
pleasant and fulfilling. Children who believe that they can take steps to make their
future better and who believe that adults are working to create a better world have
better mental health even when they experience years of traumatic events.
This document was found and linked directly to a PDF file. Because of this,
there was limited information available about the writers. This piece does a great
job of providing prof that children are able to build resilience after being faced with
tragedy. It also provides ways to better help them cope with tragedy. Overall this

document was a short read, consisting of only two pages. It will be of great use to
anyone looking to know how to help children push through during hard times.
Taylor, Alycia B., and Sara Steedman. "The Evolution of Airline Security Since 9/11."
International Foundation for Protection Officers. N.p., Dec. 2003. Web. 22 Feb.
2015.
Authors Alycia Taylor and Sara Steedman, at the time they collaborated on
this piece, were both students majoring in criminal justice at York College of
Pennsylvania. The article looks as if it was a class assignment. It features a work
cited page with about twelve different outside sources. Each main idea is separated
into a subheading. It is clear that their overall goal was to inform readers about the
improvements of airline security after the attacks of 9/11.
Prior to 9/11 the amount of security implemented in airports was at a low.
This is because Americans at that time believed that they were protected, that it
was impossible for America to be attacked by terrorist. After the attacks it became
obvious that changes needed to be made to improve national security, especially in
airports. Security became a top priority. Not only did companies carry out acts to
keep people safe, they also began to become aware of the people behind the
security suites. Cameras and other safety mechanisms were installed to make
environments much more secure.
Other quotes: Before the terrorist attacks any person was allowed to see their
loved one to the gate and watch the plane depart. However, since the attacks only
passengers are allowed past the screening checkpoints to the gate. September
11, 2001 was a much needed wakeup call for the airline industry; security measures
were under heavy reconstruction following the events.

I began searching for articles such as this one because I wanted to include
positive effects from much larger, governmental viewpoint. Most of my summaries
consist of personal experiences that are specific to a few people. Changes in airport
security has positively affected every American that has traveled by plane since the
9/11 attacks. The first quote I listed above shows one of the many changes that
were made to improve security. The second quote shows how important it was to
make those changes following this detrimental event. Overall this piece was an easy
read; the way the authors separated it into sections helped me to gain a better
understanding. I would recommend this writing to anyone who is looking for
information on changes that were put into place after 9/11.
Grohol, John M. "When Tragedy Provides." Psych Central. N.p., 1 May 1999. Web. 23
Mar. 2015.
When Tragedy Provides an internet article found on Psych Central is
authored by John Grohol on May 1, 1999. John Grohol is the founder and CEO of
Psych Central, a site about mental health and psychology issues. He is an author,
researcher, and expert in mental health. Grohol has been writing since 1992.
When Tragedy Provides acknowledges that everyone handles tragedy
differently. At first tragedy is difficult to cope with, but everyone has to deal with it.
Gohol centers his conversation around how positive can come from tragedy even
though we may not see it right away. Neighbors and community members come
together; people show acts of kindness just because. He urges people to live
everyday like it is their last because you never know when your last day will be.
More quotes: That we are not on this Earth forever, despite the way we feel
sometimes, and that every day -- starting today -- counts. It should count as though

it were your last day. You don't have to wait until tragedy strikes your life. Make an
effort today to begin appreciating the life you have. We become more human and
more focused on the things which really matter in our lives -- our family, friendships,
social relationships with others just like ourselves. The community comes together,
joined in their sorrow and grief.
This article just like most of the others I have included in my summaries
focuses on positive outcomes of tragedy. Unlike the rest, this article encourages
people to live each day like they do after faced with tragedy. Not the grieving part,
but the part where you show random acts of kindness, when you put down the cell
phone and TV remote and spend some quality time with your family. I agree with
John Grohol and the many points that he makes. He wrote this piece shortly after
the shooting at Columbine High School. I recommend this to any and every one.
Hampton, Debbie. "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger." Web log post. The
Best Brain Possible. N.p., 12 Sept. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
Debbie Hampton is a blogger living in Greensboro, North Carolina who has
been faced with many detrimental events, but through it all she has become a
much stronger person. She has lost a brother to AIDs, divorced her high school
sweetheart, attempted suicide, lost her kids in a custody battle, and suffered from
depression. The loss of her brother and her marriage caused her to start spiraling
downward. She attempted suicide by over 90 neurological drugs and failed, but the
overdose sent her into a coma for around a week. After suffering depression and
eventually losing her kids, Debbie had a wakeup call; she decided to get her life
together.

Debbies tragedy helped her to find purpose in her life. She realized that she
did not want to live it in depression. After a year of natural recovery she received
help, and the more help she received the more she recovered. In time, she
developed a blog titled The Best Brain Possible with Debbie Hampton to inspire
others to not only survive their tragedy, but to push through and strive.
Other quotes: By consciously working with and altering my thoughts, behaviors,
and emotions, I transformed my world which, in turn, changed my physical brain
and its default mode of operation. Today, I live a brain healthy lifestyle incorporating
mental health practices daily to maintain the balance and happiness Ive found.
I found this blog entry both emotional and inspirational. She shared all that
she went through, and the steps she took to not only push through it but to make
her life better. This blog site relates to my inquiry question because it proves that
positivity can arise from tragedy. After all that Debbie went through, she bounced
back and is now stronger.

McMahon, Kathy. "The Psychology of Disaster." Resilience. Peak Oil Blues, 17 Mar. 2011. Web.
25 Mar. 2015.
Kathy McMahon, known for writing about the psychological impacts of Peak
Oil, climate change, and economic collapse, is a clinical psychologist. Shes an
experienced writer who had written for Honda Motors. In her internet article The
Psychology of Disaster, she speaks on disasters focusing mainly on natural
disasters. She informs her readers about the different stages victims encounter
after being struck. There are six phases (pre-disaster, impact, heroic, honeymoon,
disillusionment, and reconstruction). The pre-disaster phase is the phase in which a
community is warned about an upcoming storm. At this time they are asked to seek

shelter and sometimes to evacuate. The impact phase consist of the emotion each
community member faces after destruction has hit. It usually depends on the
amount of destruction and personal loss caused by the disaster. The heroic phase
starts when community members join together to prevent the loss of lives and
minimize the amount of property damage. In the honeymoon phase, survivors are
proud to have made it through such tragedy until about a year later when the
disillusionment phase starts. This phase tends to begin around the anniversary of
the disaster. Survivors are reminded of events which can trigger negative emotion.
Lastly, the reconstruction phase, where the victims work through grief and try to
move on from the disaster.
Other quotes: .people dont respond identically to all stressful life events.
.those who attempt to accept or reframe a situation which cannot be changed will
also cope better than those who attempt by mental or physical effort, to change
what cannot be impacted.
I searched for this article to try and get a different perspective on my inquiry
question. Instead of just a negative point of view this article actually gave me both.
It provided me with a graph that shows the effect of each stage (mentioned above)
on a persons emotions. The graph and the explanation of it will be of great use to
me in my thesis paper. It will also be helpful to anyone looking into how disaster
effects a person emotionally.