putterings 539 < 540 > 541 index
puttering about aimlessly trying to sweep up twenty-three truck loads of debris with a broom
There was a time when researchers argued a very different position on this matter, however. And no doubt, some observed — or perhaps had reports from — victims who were overwhelmed by the disruption of a disaster. Thus, “the disaster syndrome” was created. Wallace (1956) defined it as: “...a psychologically determined defensive reaction pattern consisting of these stages : (1) people appear dazed, stunned, apathetic, passive, immobile or aimlessly puttering around; (2) extreme suggestibility, altruism, gratitude for help, personal loss minimized, concern for family and community; (3) euphoric identification with the damaged community, enthusiastic participation in repair and rehabilitation; and (4) euphoria wears off and ‘normal’ ambivalent attitudes return (full course of the syndrome may take several weeks) (Wallace, 1956). (See also Killian, 1954:68: Menninger, 1952:129; Wallace, 1957:24; and Wilson, 1962.)”’ (As summarized in Mileti, Drabek, and Haas, 1975:61.)
ex Thomas E. Drabek, Human System Responses to Disaster : An Inventory of Sociological Findings (1986) : 147
initial landing, preview at google books : link
borrowable at archive.org : link
the above was the initial landing. but, original (1956) —
Anthony F. C. Wallace, Tornado in Worcester : An exploratory study of individual and community behavior in an extreme situation
Disaster Study Number 3, Committee on Disaster Studies, National Academy of Sciences — National Research Council, Publication 392 (1956) : 109
archive.org : link
VIII : Special Topics
The Disaster Syndrome, The Counter-Disaster Syndrome, The Length of the Isolation Period, The Cornucopia Theory.
1. The Disaster Syndrome
In my initial field memorandum on the Worcester tornado, and in the later memorandum on the literature on human behavior in extreme situations, I drew attention to what appeared to be a very common behavioral reaction, which had rather definite stages. I called this the “disaster syndrome.”
The disaster syndrome is a psychologically determined defensive reaction pattern. During the first stage, the person displaying it appears to the observer to be “dazed,” “stunned,” “apathetic,” “passive,” “immobile,” or “aimlessly puttering around.” This stage presumably varies in duration from person to person, depending on circumstances and individual character, from a few minutes to hours; apparently severely injured people remain “dazed” longer than the uninjured, although this emotionally dazed condition is no doubt often overlaid by wound shock. The second stage is one of extreme suggestibility, altruism, gratitude for help, and anxiousness to perceive that known persons and places have been preserved; personal loss is minimized, concern is for the welfare of family and community. This stage may last for days. In the third stage, there is a mildly euphoric identification [110] with the damaged community, and enthusiastic participation in repair and rehabilitation enterprises; it sometimes appears to observers as if a revival of neighborhood spirit has occurred. In the final stage, the euphoria wears off, and “normally” ambivalent attitudes return, with the expression of criticism and complaints, and awareness of the annoyance of the long-term effects of the disaster. The full course of the syndrome may take several weeks to run.
p109 : link
—
... It was half an hour before he was capable of recognizing consciously that this was a community disaster. Days afterward he is dreaming that nothing has happened to anyone but him, and that his teacher (mother) is going to come to his rescue promptly; at the same time, in the dream he is a passive, helpless [141] little boy again. His altruistic identification with other victims makes him come close to bursting into tears. His behavior seems inexplicable to himself. And he admits that other people thought he was “stunned.” His memory for personal experience during impact is very clear, but as far as the record goes, there is partial amnesia for the first half hour after impact with the exception of recollections of trying to locate his family. He did not make any effort to engage in rescue or first aid. During this time, apparently he was quite literally unaware of the extent of the disaster, in spite of the fact that buildings were visibly in ruins and one of them on fire all around him; and he was puttering about aimlessly trying to sweep up twenty-three truck loads of debris with a broom.
p 141 : link
Anthony F. C. Wallace (1923-2015)
- Anthony F. C. Wallace (1923-2015), “Canadian-American anthropologist who specialized in Native American cultures, especially the Iroquois.”
wikipedia : linkand.. but.. this, what a life...
- Anthony F. C. Wallace Papers, Mss.Ms.Coll.64a : link
see also Elie Aron Cohen (1909-1993), Dutch medical doctor, survivor of Nazi death camps, “instrumental in obtaining official recognition in the Netherlands of the “‘post-concentration camp syndrome.’”
wikipedia : link
“Het post-concentratiekampsyndroom: een ‘disaster’-syndroom”
26 June 2025