AFTER SEPTEMBER 11: Surprising effects of writing about the terrorist attacks

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AFTER SEPTEMBER 11 Surprising effects of
writing about the terrorist attacks
Lori D. Stone and James W. Pennebaker The
University of Texas, Austin TX
CHANGE IN PATRIOTISM SCORES ACROSS TIME

• INTRODUCTION
• In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks
  on the United States on September 11, 2001,
  displays of patriotism were widespread.
  Sales of U.S. flags far outpaced demand one
  of the largest flag manufacturers reported
  making over 100,000 flags per week
  (normally producing only 20,000 per week)
  afterSeptember 11. Despite increased production,
  they maintain a backlog of over 170,000 orders.
• Patriotism can produce positive consequences
  for example, the Red Cross received more than
  452 million in charitable contributions for
  those affected by the terrorist attacks. Blood
  donors flooded Red Cross donation centers at such
  an enormous rate that public announcements were
  made asking people to postpone further donations.
  However, patriotism can also have negative
  consequences, including increased interpersonal
  dominance, conservatism, and authoritarianism,
  and decreased empathy, tolerance, communality,
  and altruism (Pratto et al, 1994 Greenberg et
  al, 1992 Baumeister, Smart Boden, 1996).
• The current study was undertaken to explore the
  impact of a writing intervention on levels of
  patriotism in the wake of the terrorist attacks,
  in response to attacks on individuals of Middle
  Eastern heritage in the U.S.
• METHOD
• Participants (N 110) were assigned to one of
  two writing conditions
• Write about thoughts and feelings concerning the
  terrorist attacks
• Write about time management (the control
  condition)
• Participants wrote Monday, Wednesday Friday, 20
  minutes/session
• T1 (Monday) questionnaires, writing
• T2 (Wednesday) writing
• T3 (Friday) writing
• T4 (2 weeks later) questionnaires

• SAMPLE COMMENTS BY PARTICIPANTS
• some of the so called patriotism really gets
  under my skin. I thought patriotism was about
  brotherly love of your fellow Americans and a
  love for the country. I havent really seen any
  of this, all Ive seen are painted cars and flags
  everywhere. People are still as mean as theyve
  always been. Now they are just mean people
  wearing red white and blue.
• I know that I am safe here, and I have the
  freedom to do whatever I want. This is the best
  country in the world. This is a reason that the
  people of the Taliban do not like us. They are
  jealous of the type of lives that we live, they
  are jealous of our prosperity and wealth. They
  want what we have, but since they do not know how
  to achieve it they think that the solution is to
  kill us all.
• It is sad to think that just now people are
  beginning to love those around them more. It is
  still sadder how we as a nation are beginning to
  persecute a mass people - the people of Islam.
  We cannot blame anyone for the tragedy. We have
  no one to blame but ourselves, because we were
  overconfident.
• The economy I think will eventually be restored
  as America heals its wounds ... But something
  else that I am scared will grow is the American
  contempt for Arabic and other races because
  whenever something this colossal happens people
  try to find someone to blame. We are making
  scapegoats of people who dont have anything to
  do with the attacks I dont think the bombs are
  good ideas because they will only grow the
  contempt that other people of different countries
  have towards us.
• RESULTS
• Changes in patriotism scores were correlated with
  changes in levels of fear (r .3, p lt .005).
  Writing about the attacks moderated both fear and
  patriotism.
• Ps who entered the study the week the anthrax
  scare reached its peak (10/22) showed the biggest
  effects of writing those who wrote in the
  control condition reported large increases in
  their levels of patriotism, while those who wrote
  about the terrorist attacks reported a very small
  increase.
• Participants who offered U.S. foreign policy as
  an explanation for the terrorist attacks were
  differently influenced by writing condition
  writing about the attacks produced decreased
  levels of patriotism for these Ps, while writing
  in the control condition produced increases in
  patriotism.
• REFERENCES
• Baumeister, R. G., Smart, L., Boden, J. M.
  (1996). Relation of threatened egotism to
  violence and aggression The dark side of high
  self-esteem. Psychological Review, 103, 5-33.
• Greenberg, J., Simon, L., Pyszczynski, T.,
  Solomon, S., Chatel, D. (1992). Terror
  management and tolerance Does mortality salience
  always intensify negative reactions to others who
  threaten ones worldview? Journal of Personality
  and Social Psychology, 63, 212-220.
• Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., Stallworth, L. M.,
  Malle, B. F. (1994). Social dominance
  orientation A personality variable predicting
  social and political attitudes. Journal of
  Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 741-763.

Change in patriotism score
Date of entry into study
CHANGE IN PATRIOTISM SCORE BY EXPLANATIONS FOR
THE TERRORIST ATTACKS