Collateral Damage

Color-coded terrorism alerts are issued, then lifted with no explanation. False alarms can, like crying wolf, desensitize people to a real need to be on alert. And that psychic numbing is just one effect discussed in this book by fifteen psychologists teamed up to take a critical look at the U. S. war on terrorism. These experts are led by the Chairman of an American Psychological Association task force charged with pinpointing the effect of our anti-terrorism efforts on American mental health. Together, they present the most up-to-date and intriguing picture we have of the fallout on our own people from our own programs. The text spotlights stereotyping of foreigners, increased domestic hate crimes, fear, depression and helplessness, as well as increased militancy and belligerence, especially among students. Perhaps most disturbing in the land of the free, we also see increasing acceptance of restrictions on our personal freedoms, and acceptance of human rights violations.

Color-coded terrorism alerts are issued, then lifted with no explanation. False alarms can, like crying wolf, desensitize people to a real need to be on alert. And that psychic numbing is just one effect discussed in this book by fifteen psychologists teamed up for a critical look at the U. S. war on terrorism. These experts are led by the Chairman of the American Psychological Association task force charged with pinpointing the effect of our anti-terrorism efforts on America's mental health. Together, they present the most up-to-date and intriguing picture we have of the fallout on our own people from our own programs. The text spotlights fueled stereotyping of foreigners, increased domestic hate crimes, fear, depression and helplessness, as well as increasing militancy and belligerence, especially among students. Perhaps most disturbing in the land of the free, our attention is drawn to growing acceptance of restrictions on our personal freedoms, and acceptance of human rights violations.

Contributors to this collection aim to give us a reality check, looking at what our national reactions to terrorism have been, how those reactions have affected the psyche of our people and whether this has made us stronger or weaker, and more or less likely to be the target for future attacks.

Foreword by Philip G. Zimbardo
Acknowledgment
Introduction by Paul R. Kimmel
chapter 1 US & THEM: Moderating Group Conflict-A Track Four Diplomacy Program Stephen Fabick
chapter 2 9/11 Aftershocks: An Analysis of Conditions Ripe for Hate Crimes Daniel J. Christie
chapter 3 Jujitsu Politics: Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism Clark McCauley
chapter 4 The Social Psychology of Punishing Dissent: Negative Reactions to Antiwar Views in the United States Bernice Lott
chapter 5 Untangling the Web: Threat, Ideology, and Political Behavior Rhoda Unger
chapter 6 Perceptions of Threat, National Representation, and Support for Procedures To Protect the National Group Gordon Hodson, Victoria M. Esses, and John F. Dovidio
chapter 7 Efforts To Prevent Terrorism: Impact on Immigrant Groups Nina K. Thomas
chapter 8 Psychological Effects of the Virtual Media Coverage of the Iraq War: A Postmodern Humanistic Perspective Ilene A. Serlin
chapter 9 The Impact of U. S. Antiterrorism Interventions on Terrorist Motivation: Preliminary Research in Afghanistan and Iraq Michael Wessells
chapter 10 Cities of Fear, Cities of Hope: Public Mental Health in the Age of Terrorism Chris E. Stout and Stevan Weine
Afterword by Chris E. Stout
Index
About the Series Advisory Board
About the Editors and Contributors