ABSTRACT
On September 11th, 2001, the worst terrorist attack against the U.S. in modern history was perpetrated on its soil. Americans have had limited opportunities to study the psychological effects of domestic terrorism, but a useful starting point for understanding these phenomena is an examination of the literature on the psychological impact of traumatic life events in general. Many traumas are random, unpredictable and uncontrollable (Silver & Wortman, 1980). When such events are community disasters, the experience is shared by many. But in several ways, terrorism is unique. To the aforementioned characteristics one must add a faceless enemy with political undertones whose specific goal is to create ongoing anxiety in the populace.
