Cultural Psychology of Coping with Disasters

This book offers a broad theoretical foundation by relating and contrasting relevant international literature with the outcomes of a particular research project. It provides a critical reevaluation of the complex phenomena of coping with disasters on a general level by applying this integrative theory of disaster coping to a specific context. A cultural psychological model is developed in order to suggest ways of understanding and assessing local and cultural specificity. This interaction of the general and locally specific is central to our understanding of cultural psychology of coping with disaster. The book provides a basic overview, by presenting various approaches to coping with natural disasters and relating them to each other in a coherent manner. So far, most research approaches either focus on technical, social, psychological or cultural aspects of coping, neglecting their interconnectedness. Coping is seldom seen as an extensive, long-term process, in which disaster relief complexly interacts and is integrated with the local actors and conditions. Until now, a perspective is missing, in which the mentioned modes of coping are integrated with cultural interpretations and practices and long-standing forms of communal self-help, which possibly develop in places that are frequently threatened by natural disasters.

Manfred Zaumseil, Prof. Dr. med., was medically trained at the University of Marburg and Hamburg and made his Ph.D. in Medicine in 1970. Subsequently he turned to psychiatry and clinical psychology. 1974-1979 he was Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology and Behavior Therapy at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Hamburg. From 1979 to 2008 he worked as Professor for Clinical Psychology and Community Psychology at Freie Universität Berlin. During this time he was guest lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Psychology, Gadjah Mada Universitas, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 1991/2. Overall, his major projects addressed professional and lay support systems in different cultures and methods of qualitative research. Current fields of work include culture and mental health as well as cultural psychology of disaster. Johana Endang Prawitasari-Hadiyono, Prof. Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology, Gadjah Mada Universitas, Faculty of Psychology since 2002. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Her research interests include nonverbal communication of emotions and community psychology, the latter being a macro application of clinical psychology in her understanding. After her retirement in February 2012, she continues to design new methods in clinical psychology to suit developing countries contexts. She is a member of the International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD) and the Asia Pacific Network (APNET) of the International Forum for Social Sciences in Health (IFSSH). Currently she supervises and supports young scholars to do research and community development in the fields of economy, psychosocial health and environmental protection.

Part I Theoretical Overview and Synthesis.- Understanding Disasters: An Analysis and Overview of the Field of Disaster Research and Management.- Understandings of Coping: A Critical Review of Coping Theories for Disaster Contexts.- A Cultural Psychological Framework for Coping with Disasters.- Part II Context, Method, and Reflexive Commentaries on the Case Study.- Contextualizing the Research: Introduction to the Case Study from Java, Indonesia.- Methodological Basis of a Culture-Specific Coping Approach.- Research Ethics: Between Formal Norms and Intentions.- Reflections of an Earthquake Survivor-Researcher.- Reflexive Comments on the Process of Participatory Research.- Part III Multidimensional Coping Framework.- The Material Dimension of Coping: Socioculturally Mediated Biophysical Process.- The Social Dimension of Coping: Communal Negotiations of Social Benefits and Burdens.- The Life Conduct Dimension of Coping: Local Wisdom Discourses and Related Life Orientations.- The Religious Dimension of Coping: The Roles of Cosmologies and Religious Practices.- Part IV Specific Aspects of Coping.- Suffering, Healing and the Discourse of Trauma.- Disaster Aid Distribution and Social Conflicts.- Facing the Future: Villagers Visions of Resilience.- Critical Perspectives on Gender Mainstreaming in Disaster Contexts.- Part V Conclusion.- Concluding.