Abstract
The last two decades have witnessed a dramatic increase of theoretical and empirical efforts aimed at understanding the nature of the human stress process. The contemporary literature includes many theoretical propositions, integrative models, and research findings that have advanced our ability to predict and explain people’s responses to stressful life circumstances (e.g., Ensel & Lin, 1991; Goldberger & Breznitz, 1993; Hobfoll, 1988; Jerusalem, 1993; Jerusalem & Schwarzer, 1989; Lazarus, 1991; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Moos, 1986; Pearlin, 1989). However, the vast majority of this literature has focused on the analysis of the stress process at the level of the individual. We know a great deal about how a single person in the context of his or her own personal resources, stress appraisals, coping efforts and environmental constraints confronts a variety of stressful circumstances. In contrast, community stress processes, that pertain to the issue of what happens when an entire community is affected by a common stressor, have been examined less frequently. Are there parallels between the essentials of individual stress processes and the dynamics of stress at the community level? Is it possible to conceptually differentiate between both stress processes and to integrate them into a common theoretical framework? Certainly, there are no readily available answers to these challenging questions.
The authors would also like to acknowledge the members of the working group whose contributions were incorporated into this chapter: Jan Strelau, Charles D. Spielberger, Abdul Wali Wardak, and Camille Wortman.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atkinson, T., Liem, R., & Liem, J. H. (1986). The social costs of unemployment: Implications for social support. Journal of Health and Social Psychology, 27, 317–331.
Barrera, M. (1986). Distinctions between social support concepts, measures, and models. American Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 413–445.
Barton, A. M. (1969). Communities in disaster. Garden City, NJ: Doubleday.
Baum, A., Fleming, R., & Davidson, L. (1983). Natural disaster and technological catastrophe. Environment and Behavior, 15, 333–354.
Bolin, R. (1993). Natural and technological disasters: Evidence of psychopathology. In A-M. Ghadirian, & H. E. Lehmann (Eds.), Environment and Psychopathology (pp. 121–140 ). Springer: New York.
Bolin, R., & Bolton, P. (1986). Race, religion, and ethnicity in disaster recovery. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado.
Bolin, R., & Stanford, L. (1990). Shelter and housing issues in Santa Cruz County. In R. Bolin (Ed.), The Loma Prieta Earthquake: Studies of short-term impacts (pp. 99–108 ). University of Colorado: Boulder, CO.
Brickman, P., Rabinowitz, V., Karuza, J, Coates, D., Cohn, E., & Kidder, L. (1982). Models of helping and coping. American Psychologist, 37, 368–384.
Bromet, E. J. (1989). The nature and effects of technological failures. In R. Gist & B. Lubin (Eds.), Psychological aspects of disaster (pp. 120–139 ). New York: Wiley.
Bromet, E. J. (this volume). Methodological issues in designing research on community-wide disasters with special reference to Chernobyl. In S. E. Hobfoll & M. W. deVries (Eds.), Extreme stress and communities: Impact and intervention. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer.
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310–357.
Coyne, J. C., Wortman, C. B., & Lehman, D. R. (1988). The other side of support: Emotional overinvolvement and miscarried helping. In B. H. Gottlieb (Ed.), Social support: Formats, processes, and effects (pp. 305–330 ). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Cuthbertson, B., & Nigg, J. (1987). Technological disaster and the nontherapeutic community: A question of true victimization. Environment and Behavior, 19, 462–483.
deVries, M. W. (this volume). Culture, community and catastrophe: Issues in understanding communities under difficult conditions. In S. E. Hobfoll & M. W. deVries (Eds.), Extreme stress and communities: Impact and intervention. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer.
Eckenrode, J., & Wethington, E. (1990). The process and outcome of mobilizing social support. In S. Duck (ed. with R. C. Silver), Personal relationships and social support (pp. 83–103 ). London: Sage.
Ensel, W., & Lin, N. (1991). The life stress paradigm and psychological distress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 32, 321–341.
Freedy, J. R., Saladin, M. E., Kilpatrick, D. G., Resnick, H. S., & Saunders, B. E. (1994). Understanding acute psychological distress following natural disaster. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 7, 257–274.
Giel, R. (1990). Psychosocial process in disasters. International Journal of Mental Health, 19, 7–20.
Goldberger, L., & Breznitz, S. (Eds.) (1993). Handbook of stress. New York: The Free Press.
Green, B. L. (this volume). Long-term consequences of disasters. In S. E. Hobfoll & M. W. deVries (Eds.), Extreme stress and communities: Impact and intervention. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer.
Green, B. L., Lindy, J., & Grace, M. (1994). Psychological effects of toxic contamination. In R. Ursano, B. McCaughey, & C. Fullerton (Eds.), Individual and community responses to trauma and disaster: The structure of human chaos (pp. 154–176 ). Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
Hemphill, K. J., & Lehman, D. R. (1991). Social comparisons and their affective consequences: The importance of comparison dimension and individual difference variables. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 10, 372–394.
Hobfoll, S. E. (1988). The ecology of stress. New York: Hemisphere.
Hobfoll, S. E., Briggs, S., & Wells J. (this volume). Community stress and resources: Actions and reactions. In S. E. Hobfoll & M. W. deVries (Eds.), Extreme stress and communities: Impact and intervention. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer.
Hobfoll, S. E., & Lilly, R. (1993). Resource conservation as a strategy for community psychology. Journal of Community Psychology, 21, 128–148.
Ironson, G., Greenwood, D., Wynings, C., Baum, A., Rodriquez, M., Carver, C., Benight, C., Evans, J., Antoni, M., LaPerriere, A., Kumar, M., Fletcher, M., & Schneiderman, N. (1993, August). Social support, neuroendocrine, and immune functioning during Hurricane Andrew. Paper presented at the 101th Annual Convention of American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada.
Jackson, J. S., & Inglehart, M. R. (this volume). Effects of racism on dominant and subordinate groups: A reverberation model of community stress. In S. E. Hobfoll & M. W. deVries (Eds.), Extreme stress and communities: Impact and intervention. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer.
Janoff-Bulman, R. (1992). Shattered assumptions: Towards a new psychology of trauma. New York: Free Press.
Jemmott, J. B. III, Ditto, P. H., & Croyle, R. T. (1986). Judging health status: Effects of perceived prevalence and personal relevance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 899–905.
Jerusalem, M. (1993). Personal resources, environmental constraints, and adaptational processes: The predictive power of a theoretical stress model. Personality and Individual Differences, 14, 15–24.
Jerusalem, M., & Schwarzer, R. (1989). Anxiety and self-concept as antecedents of stress and coping: A longitudinal study with German and Turkish adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 10, 785–792.
Jerusalem, M., & Schwarzer, R. (1992). Self-efficacy as a resource factor in stress appraisal processes. In R. Schwarzer (Ed.), Self-efficacy: Thought control of action (pp. 195–213 ). Washington DC: Hemisphere.
Kaniasty, K., & Norris, F. (1993). A test of the support deterioration model in the context of natural disaster. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 395–408.
Kaniasty, K., & Norris, F. (1994). In search of altruistic community: Patterns of social support mobilization following Hurricane Hugo. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Kaniasty, K., & Norris, F. (in press). Mobilization and deterioration of social support following natural disasters. Current Directions in Psychological Science.
Kaniasty, K., & Norris, F. (1991). Some psychological consequences of the Persian Gulf War on the American people: An empirical study. Contemporary Social Psychology, 15, 121–126.
Kaniasty, K., Norris, F., & Murrell, S. A. (1990). Received and perceived social support following natural disaster. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20, 85–114.
Kessler, R. C., & McLeod, J. D. (1985). Social support and psychological distress in community surveys. In S. Cohen & S. L. Syme (Eds.), Social support and health (pp. 19–40 ). New York: Academic Press.
Kilijanek, T., & Drabek, T. E. (1979). Assessing long-term impacts of a natural disaster: A focus on the elderly. The Gerontologist, 19, 555–566.
Lazarus, R. (1991). Emotion and adaptation. London: Oxford University Press.
Lazarus, R., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal. and coping. New York: Springer.
Lehman, D. R., Davis, C. G., DeLongis, A., Wortman, C. B., Bluck, S., Mandel, D. R., & Ellard, J. H. (1993). Positive and negative life changes following bereavement and their relations to adjustment. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 12, 90–112.
Lehman, D. R., Wortman, C. B., & Williams, A. F. (1987). Long-term effects of losing a spouse or child in a motor vehicle crash. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 218–231.
Lepore, S. J., Evans, G. W., & Schneider, M. L. (1991). Dynamic role of social support in the link between chronic stress and psychological distress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 899–909.
Levenson, H. (1972). Distinctions within the concept of internal-external control: Development of a new scale. Proceedings of the 80th Annual APA Convention, 7, 259–260 (summary).
McFarlane, A. C. (this volume). Stress and disaster. In S. E. Hobfoll & M. W. deVries (Eds.), Extreme stress and communities: Impact and intervention. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer.
Meichenbaum, D. (this volume). Disasters, stress and cognition. In S. E. Hobfoll & M. W. deVries (Eds.), Extreme stress and communities: Impact and intervention. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer.
Moos, R. (Ed.) (1986). Coping with life crises. New York: Plenum.
Norris, F. (1992). Epidemiology of trauma: Frequency and impact of different potentially traumatic events on different demographic groups. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 409–418.
Norris, F., & Kaniasty, K. (1994). Receipt of help and perceived social support in times of stress: A test of the social support deterioration deterrence model. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Quarantelli, E. (1985). Conflicting views on mental health: The consequences of traumatic events. In C. Figley (Ed.), Trauma and its wake (pp. 173–218 ). New York: Brunner-Mazel.
Pearlin, L. (1989). The sociological study of stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 241–256.
Pennebaker, J., & Harber, K. (1993). A social stage model of collective coping: The Loma Prieta Earthquake and the Persian Gulf War. Journal of Social Issues, 49, 125–145.
Ritter, C., Benson, D., & Snyder, C. (1990). Belief in a just world and depression. Sociological perspective, 33, 235–252.
Rochford, B., & Blocker, T. (1991). Coping with “natural” hazards as stressors. Environment and Behavior, 23, pp. 171–194.
Rook, K. S. (1985). Functions of social bonds: Perspectives from research on social support, loneliness and social isolation. In I. G. Sarason & B. R. Samson (Eds.), Social support: Theory, research and application. The Hague: Martinus Nijhof.
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80, (1, Whole No. 609).
Rubonis, A. V., & Bickman, L. (1991). Psychological impairment in the wake of disaster: The disaster-psychopathology relationship. Psychological Bulletin, 109, 384–399.
Samson, I. G., Samson, B. R., & Pierce, G. R. (this volume). Stress and social support. In S. E. Hobfoll & M. W. deVries (Eds.), Extreme stress and communities: Impact and intervention. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer.
Schwarzer, R., & Leppin, A. (1991). Social support and health: A theoretical and empirical overview. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 8, 99–127.
Smith, C. A., & Lazarus, R. (1990). Emotion and adaptation. In L.A. Pervin (Ed.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (pp. 609–637 ). New York: The Guilford Press.
Solomon, S. D. (1986). Mobilizing social support networks in times of disaster. In C. R. Figley (Ed.), Trauma and its wake: Vol. 2. Traumatic stress theory, research, and intervention (pp. 232–263 ). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Solomon, S. D., Bravo, M., Rubio-Stipec, M., & Canino, G. (1993). Effect of family role on response to disaster. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 6, 255–269.
Taylor, S. E., Kemeny, M. E., Reed, G. M., & Aspinwall, L. G. (1991). Assault on the self: Positive illusions and adjustment to threatening events. In J. Strauss & G. R. Goethals (Eds.), The self: Interdisciplinary approaches (pp. 239–254 ). New York: Springer-Verlag.
Taylor, S. E., & Lobel, M. (1989). Social comparison activity under threat: Downward evaluation and upward contacts. Psychological Review, 96, 569–575.
Trickett, E. J. (this volume). The community context of disaster and traumatic stress: An ecological perspective from community psychology. In S. E. Hobfoll & M. W. deVries (Eds.), Extreme stress and communities: Impact and intervention. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer.
Wills, T. A. (1981). Downward comparison principles in social psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 106, 231–248.
Wood, J. V., Taylor S. E., & Lichtman, R. R. (1985). Social comparison in adjustment to breast cancer. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 1169–1183.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jerusalem, M., Kaniasty, K., Lehman, D.R., Ritter, C., Turnbull, G.J. (1995). Individual and Community Stress: Integration of Approaches at Different Levels. In: Hobfoll, S.E., de Vries, M.W. (eds) Extreme Stress and Communities: Impact and Intervention. NATO ASI Series, vol 80. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8486-9_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8486-9_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4548-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-015-8486-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive