Those who have experienced the horrors of war see their lives clearly delineated between a “before” and an “after”. This singular ordeal does not, as is often believed, mean that it is impossible to live, but generally forces people to live in a very different way. The disruption of the life process that results from this situation causes upheavals that each individual faces by drawing onto their capacity to adapt. But not everyone reacts in the same way.
To describe the mechanisms at work, health psychologists have coined the concept of “coping”, which is closely linked to that of adaptation. However, its outcome varies depending upon whether it is geared toward impacting upon the situation through action, or managing associated emotional states stemming from it.
