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the Psychospiritual Impact of Disaster

An overview
J. Irene Harris, Susan Thornton, and Brian Engdahl

Introduction

A most ancient and familiar story of people’s struggle with faith and
meaning in the face of disaster is the Book of Job. In the story, a righ-
teous and exemplary patriarch is smitten by a series of disasters, which
rob him of his property and livelihood, take his sons and daughters and
families, cover him with sores and illness, and call into question his faith.
He cries out to his God and struggles to make meaning of his suffering.
His wife responds differently and is ready to abandon faith altogether. His
friends, on the other hand, urge him, argue with him, and badger him to
recognize his own sin that has brought on these disasters. Job maintains
his integrity and his relationship with God. While the characters in the
story come from a shared religious tradition, each individual has a differ-
ent faith response to this experience of disaster.
The story is echoed throughout history and in contemporary culture.
Following the destruction of the World Trade Center Twin Towers on
9/11/01, 90% turned to their faith to cope (Schuster et al., 2001). Just as
those represented in the story of Job reflect varied perspectives on spiri-
tuality and disaster, research in the psychology of spirituality documents
varied spiritual responses to adversity and trauma. Some describe their
faith as helpful in coping, describing confidence that their Deity cares
about them and will provide resources for recovery (Pargament, Koenig,
Tarakeshwar & Hahn, 2002, 2004a; Strawbridge et al., 1998). Others report
that their faith makes no difference in their adjustment, and still others

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