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The critical period of disasters: Insights from sense-making and psychoanalytic theory

Mark Stein

m.k.stein{at}reading.ac.uk

The purpose of this article is to deepen our understanding of the period during which a disaster unfolds, here called the ‘critical period’. Previous research has shown cases in which sense-making is essential for survival during this period, but it is argued here that there are other cases in which sense-making compounds the problems. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory, the capacity for anxiety toleration is postulated as a moderating variable that influences whether correct sense can be made of the situation, and, in turn, whether the likelihood of survival will increase. Implications for theory are examined.

Key Words: anxiety • critical period • disaster • psychoanalysis • sense-making

Human Relations, Vol. 57, No. 10, 1243-1261 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726704048354
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