Experiences of Individuals Feeling a Sense of Alienation after Terrorist Attacks: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the experiences of individuals feeling a sense of alienation after terrorist attacks. This qualitative research, carried out within the theoretical framework of the interpretative phenomenological approach, was conducted with the non-random sampling method and purposive sampling method. The sample consists of 11 volunteers (18-65 years old) without any psychiatric illness, who continued to work in the same workplace before and after the terrorist attack of March 13, 2016, and whose post-attack sense of alienation was determined to be the highest. "Participant Information Form", "Dean's Alienation Scale (AS)" and "Semi-Structured Interview Form" were used as data collection tools. In analysıs of the participants, the mean of the scores from Dean's Alienation Scale varied between 78 and 82. Four main themes were identified as a result of the analysis of the interviews with eleven participants who stated that they or their relatives or acquaintances did not get injured or their relatives or acquaintances were not killed during the terrorist attack. These themes were "attributing meaning to what is witnessed aurally and visually," "change," "individual responses," and "coping."The study concludes that individuals feeling a sense of alienation after terrorist attacks give emotional, mental, physiological, and behavioral responses to these incidents, changes occur in their interpersonal relationships and habits, and their ways of coping with incidents vary. 

Keywords

• terror
• alienation
• trauma

Terör Saldırıları Sonrası Yabancılaşma Duygusu Yaşayan Bireylerin Yaşantıları: Fenomenolojik Çalışma

Öz

Bu çalışmanın amacı, terör saldırıları sonrası yabancılaşma duygusu yaşayan bireylerin yaşantılarının incelenmesidir. Çalışma Yorumlayıcı Fenomenolojik Yaklaşım kuramsal çerçevesinde, nitel desende, rastlantısal olmayan örneklem seçme tekniği ve amaçlı örneklem yöntemi ile yürütülmüştür. Çalışmanın örneklem grubunu, 13 Mart 2016 bombalı terör saldırı öncesi ve sonrası aynı iş yerinde çalışmaya devam eden ve saldırı sonrası yabancılaşma duygusu en yüksek düzeyde tespit edilen, gönüllü, 18-65 yaş arasında, psikiyatrik rahatsızlığı bulunmayan 11 katılımcı oluşturmuştur. Veri toplama aracı olarak “Katılımcı Bilgi Formu”, “Dean’in Yabancılaşma Ölçeği (YÖ)” ile “Yarı Yapılandırılmış Görüşme Formu” kullanılmıştır. Analizde görüşmecilerin tamamının Dean’in Yabancılaşma Ölçeği puan ortalamaları 78-82 arasında değişkenlik göstermiştir. Terör saldırısında kendilerinin, yakınlarının, tanıdığı kişilerin yara almadığını, can kaybı yaşamadıklarını ifade eden on bir görüşmecinin anlatıları incelendiğinde dört ana tema belirlenmiştir. Bunlar:” işitsel ve görsel olarak tanık olunanların anlamlandırılması”, “değişim”, “bireysel tepkiler” ve “baş etme” şeklindedir. Çalışmanın sonucunda, terör saldırıları sonrası yabancılaşma duygusu yaşadıkları tespit edilen bireylerin duygusal, zihinsel, fiziksel ve davranışsal alanlarda tepkiler gösterdikleri, kişilerarası ilişkiler ile alışkanlıklarında değişimlerin meydana geldiği ve yaşanan olaylarla baş etme biçimlerinin çeşitlilik gösterdiği saptanmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• terör
• travma
• yabancılaşma

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