Death, Tragedy and Community at Wartime Essay Example for Free

expiration, Tragedy and Community at Wartime EssayDying in War Implications for the family, the community and the kindly worker Death is a phenomenon that evokes mixed reactions and views from a community. For some, it a sunny release from the trials and problems of life. To others, it may very well be the end of the world when they lose a love virtuoso. What remains constant however is the affliction, bereavement and l cardinalliness undergo by those odd behind. Even more so when shoe authorizers last was sudden and unexpected as like what happens in times of struggle, disaster, and terrorist attacks. Grief goes done m each stages, each stage more difficult that the last.While most people generally pick off to cope with time, some experience more difficulties and tend to develop psychological and emotional problems. During the First and twinkling World Wars, the knock of the postman was a thing of dread. They either brought telegrams summoning the sons and fathers of families for the draft or telegrams announcing the shoemakers last or loss of loved one. An estimated 8 million military soulfulnessnel in 14 European countries were killed in World War I, and 14. 4 million military personnel in 17 European countries were killed in World War II (Aiken, 2001, p. 111).P argonnts who all of a sudden lose their children such as what happened to most state of contendtime mothers with mature sons commonly puzzle a harder time coming to terms with the cobblers last of their child (Gilbert, 2005, p. 6). The loss and feelings of helplessness and anger after part be intense. at that place is a common belief that something is wrong when a kindle buries his/her child. Most parents who have experienced this report that they feel dissociation with life and everything just felt so unreal (p. 6). That it is non right that parents should survive their children is often the thought that haunts bereaved parents.What role do social workers play in ti mes of war and terror? Social problems are defined as the take exceptions that heart and exist in communities (Hardcastle, Powers Wenocur, 2004, p. 62). It is the social workers job to help the community and its members formulate and implement solutions to these problems. Social workers usually work with problems related to economic disadvantages, illness and disability, crime and delinquency, abuse and maltreatment, service provision to special move of the population and intellectual illness. All these problems call for leadership attention and trained intervention (p.62). No point coffin nail put all these things to snuff ither more than times of war. What may be the biggest challenge to a social worker though is the task of helping a family and community locoweed with the sudden losses of loved ones in combat. In addition to this, they should similarly be prepared to cope with the rehabilitation of those who have been competent to come back home but exist with scars th at are not only sensual but also mental and emotional. The events of September 11, 2001, though technically not a part of any formal war except the one on terror, had an impact that was not dissimilar to armed conflicts.There was confusion, anger, anxiety and above all, people who in an instant lost their loved ones. As with wartime, sudden finale can only be viewed as unfair and untimely (Clements, Deranieri, Vigil Benasutti, 2004) For example, the September 11, 2001 terror attacks leftfield behind families and children who have lost moms and dads in that instant. Even adults and children who were in straightway abnormal by the attacks have vainglorious to suffer feelings of anxiety and shattered security in their personal and familial caoutchoucty (Smith Reynolds, 2002).Besides the necessary feelings of grief, children especially were left behind and often had to contend with nightmares and morbid pictures of the traumatic remainders their loved ones experienced as well as the stress and difficulty of trying to picture lives without mom or dad. It is also grievous to remember that the effects of trauma are not limited to those who suffer it directly (Sims, Hayden, Palmer Hutchins, 2000, p. 41) The ubiquity of television system also afforded children at home not only news of the attacks but also vivid pictures and descriptions of the disaster and all its violence.This made it even more problematic for children and people who have lost loved ones in the Twin Towers and the plane crashes as coverage of each horrific scene gave them fodder for the imagination and sequent nightmares. The moorage of a 7-year old boy named Johnny is cited in the study (2002) by Smith and Reynolds. pursuit the 9/11 attacks, Johnny developed a constant fear of his parents leaving home and acquiring killed by bad men. He also developed a phobia of elevators and would throw tantrums whenever his parents tried to make him use one.Johnny admitted to his therapist that h is fear of elevator stemmed from a story he hear of how people in the Twin Towers were trapped and killed while riding in the elevators. (Smith Reynolds, 2002) Neither Johnny nor his family were directly involved or affected in the terror attack. The mental and emotional strain suffered by survivors and those affected by this very high profile event led to the American psychiatrical Associations setting up of counseling services focusing on grief, acute stress and Post Traumatic Stress overturn (PTSD) (Smith Reynolds, 2002).The difficulty that most surviving relatives meet is in the un-timeliness of death. While conventional wisdom holds that sons and fathers who go to war may not come back again, more often than not, there is a strong fancy that they will be able to come home. Despite the knowledge of all the possibilities, the sudden and traumatic temper of death often creates problems among surviving relatives. They become victims in their own right. Muller and Thompson be lieve that the port of death plays a vital role in determining the reaction of the survivors (Muller Thompson, 2003).If its bad enough for people to suddenly lose their loved ones, how much more would it be for children to live and go through an environment of war and death? In his article in the Journal of Multi-cultural Counseling and Development in 2004, Clinical psychologist and logger of the American Psychological Association (APA) Gargi Roysircar relates the case of 20-year old Yugoslavian emigre Stephen, who at the age of 10 witnessed the height of the civil war between Christians and Muslims in Kosovo in 1990.In interviews with his counselor, Stephen recalls witnessing about 80% of his classmates get killed by bombs, sniper shots and gunfire as they walked to and from school. At age 14, Stephen was taken by his father to the frontlines for training in combat to fight with the Serbian army. The next two years wold take Stephen all over the Balkans and would develop him to all kinds of death, privation and war atrocities. Eventually migrating as political refugees in the United States, in 1999, Stephen show difficulty in acculturation and adjustment.The constant displacement he experienced in war on with the mistrust bred by his past and cultural paranoia fostered by the Croatian community they lived with made it difficult for Stephen to acclimatise to peacetime setting. Roysircar describes Stephen as having recurrent thoughts and images of his violent experience in the Balkans. He experienced nightmares, hostility and a heavy(a) sense of a miss of belonging. Stephen also often recounted the difficulties he experienced including hiding in a basement and eating rats especially when angry.He also displays a deep-seated hatred for the Muslims and believes the Middle einsteinium should be wiped off the face of the Earth (Roysircar, 2004). While there may be models detailing stages of grief and recovery, social workers mustiness be prepared for insta nces that do not adhere to such models. In Stephens case while he did not directly lose any of his close family members, he was exposed at an early age to violence and death. He has also experienced being the cause of another humane beings death as he and his father fought on the Serbian army.This is no different from the Post-Traumatic Stress roughness exhibited by American soldiers returning from Vietnam or any other area where they fought in combat. A person does not have to lose anyone in range to feel grief, bereavement and suffer any disease that may result from it as evidenced by the little boy Johnnie and Stephen. Death in wartime is not limited to just the loss of a loved one. In a community where all able bodied men are called to arms, anybody can lose husbands, brothers, fathers and sons at any day.Families left behind are left to their own devices and imaginings of what horrors their loved ones are facing. Those who do lose family members are haunted by the manner by which their loved one died. There is also the unfortunate circumstance in war where death is an ambiguous issue. In the Vietnam War, many an(prenominal) people were reported missing in action. The families of such people were left at an awkward and horrible position of not knowing whether they should be mourn or belongings out hope for their loved ones return (Worden, 2003, p. 40).In some cases, some families do accept the reality that their loved one may be dead and go through the entire process of mourning and recovery only to be told later that their husbands and sons were simply prisoners of war and has since been released. While ordinarily this may telephone set like a fairy tale ending, there may come unbridgeable gaps and tension that can only ruin relationships and lives (p. 85). On the other hand, some families may keep clinging to the hope that their loved ones are alive and because refuse to give way to grief and acceptance.Stacy Bannerman (2007) is one of the many army wives whose espousal was broken up by war. In her article that appeared in The Progressive, she relates how her once happy marriage with one of the militarys mortar platoon commanders started qualifyinging downhill with every death he caused and witnessed during his stint in Iraq. She decries the insensitivity and lack of fend for for military families from the National Guard. She further cites how there was an absolute lack of prompt attention to the mental and emotional needs of returning military men who more often than not suffered from PTSD like her husband, Lorin did.Because of this, there have been military men who have survived their tour of trading only to succumb to mental and emotional anguish and end up committing suicide on American soil (Bannerman, 2007). It is the soldiers, their families, and the people of Iraq that contribute the human costs. The tab so far more than 3,000 dead U. S. troops, tens of thousands of wounded, over half a million Iraqi casualti es, roughly 250,000 American servicemen and women struggling with PTSD, and almost 60,000 military marriages that have been broken by this war (Bannerman, 2007).The problem here is that most of those left behind are left to cope with their own fears without the support of anybody else except family and members who are also wrapped up in their own concerns. In this case, social workers must be able to take the lead in establishing outreach and community groups so people do not have to cope and suffer in isolation. Carpenter (2002) states that the psychological well-being of the members of a community is one of the jobs of a social worker.While it is true that the trauma brought on by exposure to violence and death may be an individual process, healing and recovery needs societal support and strong relationships (Carpenter, 2002). This may become a challenge to families and communities who are dealing with their anxiety and grief. However, Carpenter reminds social workers that one of the primary goals of social work is to help empower the oppressed. Oppression in itself can take on many definitions and forms. In this particular case, it is the trauma and grief that is debilitating and oppressing the individual and the community.Social workers must also be prepared to look for signs of repressed grief. Some individuals choose to withhold and fail to express grief and therefore develop problems later in life often developing manias, paranoia and demonstrate abuse towards other people. At times, the feelings of grief or multiple losses of loved ones may lead to a grief congest that would cause an individual to delay grief (Worden, 2003, p. 91) The community as a social system can provide a network of support.Given the right leadership, empathy and sensitivity, it can also become a safe place where people can come to terms with their grief and slowly move on toward recovery. In the cases of Johnnie and Stephen, it took time before they were able to face and admit their anger, anxiety and grief at the bad things that they experienced and fear. Sometimes, self-reflection and a ready ear is all thats necessary. As clinically trained counselors and diagnosticians, social workers are tasked with the duty of helping people recognize and understand what problems they may have.Community-wise, social workers should have enough knowledge of the communitys demographics in order to unify and create a solid network of safety and interaction that may support troubled and grieving individuals particularly in conflict filled times such as war. Death at wartime comes in many forms. It could be the actual death of a loved one, anxiety at the possible death, loss at whether somebody is dead or not, or even those who continue to physically live but have broken spirits and permanent disabilities as a result of war wounds.Much as death is a big thing that affects not only the family but also the community as a whole, war brings with it so much more problems and issues that will undoubtedly challenge most social workers. Undertaking social work means one must be in sync with the community. By in sync, it covers everything from issues, key people, and resources that may be mobilized in times of need. War is a time of immense crisis and tragedy that the social worker must be prepared to face head on and ably lead and facilitate the processes by which the community may be transformed into a supportive societal system that each member may be able to depend on.This does not mean however that social workers cannot be affected or lose their sense of self in dealing with all these tragedies. Tsui and Cheung (2003) recommend a self-reflection on the part of the social worker in order to understand and come to terms with their own reactions and feelings to tragedies they both witness and hear about from their clients before attempting to deal further with the grief of others. They also stress that once social workers attend to their duties, they shou ld do so intellectually yet with empathy and focus on assessing and addressing the needs of the community rather than ones own (Tsui Cheung, 2003)References Aiken, L. R. (2001). Dying, Death, and Bereavement (4th ed. ). Mahwah, NJ Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Questia database http//www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=22091057 Bannerman, S. (2007, March). Broken by This War. The Progressive, 71, 26+. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Questia database http//www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5021139792 Carpenter, J. (2002). Mental Health Recovery look-alike Implications for Social Work. Health and Social Work, 27(2), 86+. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Questia database http//www. questia. com/PM. qst?a=od=5000778618 Gilbert, K. R. (2005). 1 When a Couple Loses a Child. In Family Stressors Interventions for Stress and Trauma, Catherall, D. R. (Ed. ) (pp. 5-30). New York Brunner Routledge. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Questia database http//www. ques tia. com/PM. qst? a=od=109184971 Catherall, D. R. (Ed. ). (2005). Family Stressors Interventions for Stress and Trauma. New York Brunner Routledge. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Questia database http//www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=109184958 Clements, P. T. , Deranieri, J. T. , Vigil, G. J. , Benasutti, K. M. (2004). look after Death Grief Therapy after the Sudden Traumatic Death of a Family Member. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 40(4), 149+. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Questia database http//www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5008586582 Hardcastle, D. A. , Powers, P. R. , Wenocur, S. (2004). Community Practice Theories and Skills for Social Workers. New York Oxford University Press. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Questia database http//www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=104722138 Roysircar, G. (2004). Child survivor of War A Case Study. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 32(3), 168+.Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Questia database http//www. questia . com/PM. qst? a=od=5012181947 Sims, M. , Hayden, J. , Palmer, G. , Hutchins, T. (2000). Working in Early Childhood Settings with Children Who Have Experienced Refugee or War-Related Trauma. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 25(4), 41. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Questia database http//www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001127890 Smith, S. , Reynolds, C. (2002). Innocent Lost The Impact of 9-11 on the Development of Children. Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, 5(5), 12+.Retrieved November 21, 2007, from Questia database http//www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5002560442 Tsui, M. , Cheung, F. C. (2003). Dealing with Terrorism What Social Workers Should and Can Do. Social Work, 48(4), 556+. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Questia database http//www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5002045024 Worden, J. W. (2003). Grief steering and Grief Therapy A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner. Hove, England Brunner-Routledge. Retrieved November 28, 2007, from Ques tia database http//www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=108479290