Natural Disasters

This book discusses the relative contribution that
cultural factors, social support networks and
spirituality, have in facilitating resilience. To
date, the literature has concentrated on studies of
Western, individualist cultures, with relatively
little attention paid to collectivist cultures.
Significant differences in, for example, social
structures and interpretive mechanisms, suggest that
collectivist cultures must be studied separately if
a comprehensive model of disaster resilience is to
be developed. Taiwan, a collectivist culture, has a
long history of battling natural disasters such as
earthquakes and typhoons. On average, 4.8 natural
disasters strike the island every year. Repeated
exposure to disasters creates a natural laboratory
for disaster science. The concept of resilience is
of great importance to disaster studies and
management. Professionals who work with survivors
will need to understand what helps them to function
well during and after disasters, and how to
incorporate this knowledge into new practice
strategies that foster the survivors strengths and
resilience.

Autorentext

Li-ju Jang is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Medical Sociology and Social Work, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. She holds a doctorate from University of Denver in Social Work. Her interest areas are human response to natural disaster, disaster resilience, and posttraumatic growth.

Klappentext
This book discusses the relative contribution that cultural factors, social support networks and spirituality, have in facilitating resilience. To date, the literature has concentrated on studies of Western, individualist cultures, with relatively little attention paid to collectivist cultures. Significant differences in, for example, social structures and interpretive mechanisms, suggest that collectivist cultures must be studied separately if a comprehensive model of disaster resilience is to be developed. Taiwan, a collectivist culture, has a long history of battling natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons. On average, 4.8 natural disasters strike the island every year. Repeated exposure to disasters creates a natural laboratory for disaster science. The concept of resilience is of great importance to disaster studies and management. Professionals who work with survivors will need to understand what helps them to function well during and after disasters, and how to incorporate this knowledge into new practice strategies that foster the survivors' strengths and resilience.