Psychological reactions to terrorist attacks - Essay Example

The exploitation of fear within the global population, organizations and small social units helps to realize these terrorist goals. The September 11, 2001 attacks were a prominent example of terrorism in the 21st century. The incident involved a series of four separate, but well-coordinated terrorist invasions launched by the al-Qaeda on the New York City and the Washington, D.C. in the United States. The attacks impacted the Macro-system in the sense that the World Trade Centre was closed, and the economic system of Lower Manhattan nearly ground to a halt.

Cancellations of international flights and business relations between the world and the two American cities had a substantial effect on the world markets. Wall Street was also closed for nearly one week, and the civilian airspace three days in the United States and Canada. In the Meso-system, different organizations such as churches, schools, and businesses suspended their operations and evacuated in the aftermath of the attack. At the individual and group level or microsystem, people were gripped with fear of a repeat of the attacks that had claimed about 3000 civilian lives.

As Schlenger (582) has established, those who lost their loved ones, property or good physical health, have been enduring serious psychological disorders for more than 12 years now. America, Canada, their European allies and the whole world, in general, have since changed their security policies to eradicate cases of terrorism since then.