RESPONSES OF ADULTS IN THE SOUTHEAST TO EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11: SIX MONTHS LATER

Abstract

This community-based study involved 20-minute semi-structured interviews with adults living in the Southeastern United States (n = 174). Participants reported their perceptions and experiences related to the 9/11/2001 attacks on the US. Data were collected approximately six months after the attacks. A nearly universal initial response of shock and disbelief was noted, accompanied by a shattering of a “myth of invulnerability” of the US to such attacks. Analysis revealed a pattern of recalled responses consisting of three phases: (a) the unimaginable, (b) responses of accommodation, and (c) the manageable. These phases are described with examples from the interview data. Sociocultural and mental health implications or this preliminary study are discussed.