ABSTRACT
A frequent reaction to a disaster is the anxious expectation of an imminent repetition of the event. This attitude, while manifestly forward-looking, may be in effect directed more towards the emotional mastery of the past trauma. Brooding about what to do if it should happen again involves reliving the recently experienced catastrophe until one may be able to recall it without unbearable distress. Evidently the occurrence of disaster may stimulate efforts of control of a more realistic sort, although these too may be unconsciously invested with exaggerated power. The persistence of the pre-disaster routine in the case seems to be related to an eccentric family pattern: the woman described her husband as “peculiar” and says that in general he is unwilling to make any adaptation to changing times. One may perhaps see a difference in emphasis in the post-disaster attitude in that there is more conscious effort to avoid becoming aware of danger signals.
