Psychological Aspects of Disaster

This paper is concerned with the psychological problems of massive traumatic situations with particular emphasis on the probabilities for noneffective behavior in a disaster produced by nuclear weapons. Man has been threatened by or subjected to episodes of catastrophic trauma since recorded history. In more recent years there has been reported a considerable body of data relative to the behavior of groups and individuals under disaster conditions. Such data include numerous observations and studies of (1) combat personnel in World War I, World War II, and Korea1; (2) the effects of massive aerial bombardment against population centers2; (3) spontaneous civilian disasters such as fires, explosions, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods3; and (4) the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.4From these extensive and varied experiences it is possible to construct theoretical models that illustrate general conclusions regarding behavior under external stress which may be useful in delineating