NEWS RELEASE
17 September 2001
When the going gets tough – who
survives?
UniSA free lecture uncovers some secrets of survival
Some
of the most haunting and horrific images of the 20th century
were those of Nazi death camps. They are images of both the dead and dying
in places clinically designed for their extermination, but also they were
images of hollow-faced survivors.
What
it took to endure the horrors of the death camps, how people managed
extraordinary levels of stress and what that teaches us about stress and
the psychology of survival will be the key focus of a free public lecture
presented by UniSA’s Work Stress Research Group on September
20 from 6.15 at UniSA’s City East campus.
UniSA’s
School of Psychology is pleased to present Professor Peter Suedfeld from
the University of British Columbia who has been conducting an archival
analysis of the narratives of people who have survived extreme stress
including the Holocaust, POW camps and slavery.
The
lecture, Indomitability, resilience and salutogenesis
in the lives of Holocaust survivors, will examine the skills and
coping strategies that have helped survivors of trauma.
Professor
Suedfeld says there are many characteristics that enhance the probability
of survival within the limitations imposed by the environment.
“There
are a broad set of personality characteristics generally labelled
resilience, hardiness or a sense of coherence and also optimism or looking
at situations as a challenge rather than an irresistible disaster, that
help people to survive trauma,” he says.
“Another
key factor appears to be devotion to something or someone – a cause, an
ideology, religion, family, ideals, goals for the future or even an
unshakeable belief that you will survive.
“Interestingly,
results from our team’s research found that most of the survivors
themselves believed luck and help from other people were the reasons for
their survival.”
And
contrary to what many people assume, Professor Suedfeld says people who
survive traumas such as the Holocaust most often go on to lead very normal
and successful lives.
“Basically
it is hard to tell them apart,” he says. “They do remember the events,
sometimes vividly and often without wanting to, and sometimes they have
nightmares about it, but on the whole they do well in their careers, have
close knit families and are as happy as most people.
“Many
survivors believe their experience has made them stronger in some ways –
that having been through something so stressful, they can handle lesser
problems and that they have a better sense of what is important in
life.”
Born
in Budapest Professor Suedfeld survived WW11 as a “hidden child” in
Hungary.
He
immigrated to the US in 1948 where he graduated from Princeton with an MA
and PhD.
Today
he is Dean Emeritus of Graduate Studies and Professor Emeritus of
Psychology at the University of British Columbia.
His
research, including contributions to six books and more than 250 journal
articles, has focussed on how people cope with unusual, challenging or
extreme environments.
Professor
Suedfeld’s work has included field research in the Arctic and Antarctic
and studies of the coping processes of leadership elites and ordinary
citizens faced with political, ecological, economic, military or personal
crises.
His
most recent work has been in analysing the narratives of Holocaust
survivors and others who have survived extreme stress.
His
latest book, Light from the Ashes,
is a collection of essays from social scientists who as children either
fled from or survived the Holocaust. The book explores the links between
their childhood experiences and the development of their careers, research
interests, theoretical positions and their personal lives.
The
lecture will be held in the Centenary Building level 4 room 16 from 6.15
to 7.30 pm.
More
information about the lecture is
available from Professor Tony Winefield, UniSA
School of Psychology on (08) 8302 2156.
Media contact:
Michèle Nardelli (08) 8302 0966 or 041 8823673
email: michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au
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