Megan Moore

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1102- 034
07 April 2015
Coping: A Life Changer
Imagine youve been taken prisoner in a foreign country. Hidden away for months, trying
your best to survive. This is what happened to Camilla Carr who was a Western aid worker in
1996, in Chechnya (Coping with Kidnap). She was there helping children traumatized by war.
She was kidnapped, and held for fourteen months in various locations such as cellars and
underground tunnels. In an article Carr shares her tips for surviving and coping while being held
captive. She suggests things like Wherever you are held try and customize the space. Be
creative in using what is around you to keep your spirits up.
This kind of source is important because it shows coping from a personal view point. A
lot of my research seems to focuses on the technical definition of coping.
we are subject to feelings of tension and stress, for example the cognitive dissonance
and potential shame of doing something outside our values. To handle this discomfort we
use various coping methods. (Coping Mechanisms)
While this type of information is important in understanding coping, to me its not personal
enough. Individual accounts of coping allow for a better understanding of how we as individual
cope. Coping is very personal and looks different for everybody. Jacki McKinney, a family
advocate, said that in order to recover and cope she had to change her life. Recovery didnt
come from me. I had to go find it. And I didnt find it in a box or a book. What I found after

therapy was I found I had to change my life. (9/11 and Beyond) Ms. McKinney was recovering
from a series of traumatic events that occurred throughout her lifetime.
The initial spark for my inquiry and thesis comes from Markus Zuzaks novel The Book
Thief, She didnt dare look up, but she could feel their frightened eyes hanging on her as she
hauled the words in and breathed them out. A voice played the notes inside her. This, it said, is
your accordion. (161) In this quote Liesel is reading aloud to her neighbors as they hide away in
a bomb shelter. Her reading calms everyone down, and brings them a sense of temporary peace
just as her papa, Hans, playing the accordion does for her.
I was fascinated by the different ways the characters in the book dealt with being in Nazi
Germany during WWII. Liesel developed and harnessed her love of the written word into
something extremely powerful, For at least twenty minutes, she handed out the story. The
youngest kids were soothed by her voice, and everyone else saw visions of the whistler running
from the crime scene. (pg. 381) She also developed important relationships with people like
Max (a Jew Lisels family was hiding from the Nazis) and a lemon haired German boy named
Rudy. As for Liesels other activities, she was causing havoc with Rudy Steiner (161). Rudy is
Liesels best friend. They get into all sorts of mischief together, such as stealing food from
neighboring farms, or sneaking into the mayors library and stealing books. All this helps keep
their minds of the tough times WWII has brought them and their families.
Throughout most of my research one common thread Ive found is the importance of
relationships as a part of coping. Various sources discusses forming relationships as a vital part
of coping. Social Coping is a type of coping where one seeks help from other people. This
involves receiving guidance and advice from others. Getting comfort and understanding from
others helps provide emotional support (Psych lecture). Knowing that others are dealing with

similar things can be vital. It keeps one from feeling a sense of solitude and being disconnected.
In the video 9/11 and Beyond: Coping Strategies for Trauma and Stress Dr. Laurie Ann
Pearlman, the co-director of the Traumatic Stress Institute in Connecticut, states
The path to healing is RICH relationships. And RICH is an acronym that stands for
Respect, Information, Connection, and Hope. And I really believe that those are the four
elements that people require in order to move forward through something like a largescale tragedy.
Building these strong relationships is an important part of growing in the wake of a traumatic
event. Growth resulting from traumatic events is possible. This growth is known as Post
Traumatic Growth.
Youve probably heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, where an individual
suffers anxiety or other symptoms after enduring a tragic event. Joseph E. LeDoux and Jack M.
Gorman describe PTSD, as PTSD is essentially a condition in which emotional learning
persists in the form of memories that seize control of mental life and behavior. (A Call to
Action) Post Traumatic Growth or PTG is the experience of positive psychological changes
that occur in the wake of a traumatic event as a result of the ensuing (psychological) struggle
with what happened (Shared and Unique Predictors). However, Post Traumatic Growth is not
the total opposite of Post-traumatic stress Disorder. Its been suggested that PTSD and PTG have
similar triggers that set them in motion (Shared and Unique Predictors). PTG is a good example
of how coping with tragedy is not always negative, good can come from it. I believe this stems
back to the individuality of coping.
Suzann Raga, an author, blogger, and recent Princeton graduate, shares her experience
with growing from trauma in a blog post. Her story is a good example of PTG. Raga was

hospitalized after her thyroid began producing excessive amounts of thyroid hormone (Surviving
and Thriving). One way she grew from this experience was to start taking her health seriously,
I had always heard that health is essential, and without health you have nothing, but I
didnt actually understand until being directly confronted with illness. I now prioritize
taking care of my healthphysical, mental, and spiritualabove all else.
Sometimes trauma can be a wakeup call and bring our attention to areas of our lives we need to
improve. A negative experience can result in a positive outcome. These experiences can also
teach us new things. Raga says while she was in the hospital she had the opportunity to get to
know the nurses and doctors, while watching how a hospital runs day and night. This proved to
be a new learning experience which she actually enjoyed (Surviving and Thriving). This is a
fresh and encouraging perspective on reactions to trauma. Raga poses what I believe is a very
important question: When extreme, unexpected, life changing, or scary things happen, how can
we not only survive them but also grow from the experience? (Surviving and Thriving)
Authors of A Call to Action: Overcoming Anxiety through Active Coping an article in
the American Journal of Psychology suggest turning avoidance into a successful comping
mechanism. By this they mean avoiding stressors and finding way to distract oneself. They stress
the importance not focusing on the stress but rather finding other things to do the individual
who cannot bear to go back to work should be encouraged to do something else instead but not
sit at home and brood. If going to work is too painful, the person might go shopping or visit a
friend. (A Call to Action) Camilla Carr also suggests doing things to distract from a stressful
situation. While she was held captive her and the other prisoners did Tai Chi, Yoga, practiced
meditation, and humor to keep their spirits up (Coping with Kidnap) Personally, whenever I find
myself going through difficult or stressful times I turn to running. I lace up my Mizunos, put in

my headphones, and hit the trails. Every mile I run is a weight lifted off my shoulders. To me
nothing feels better than running through the woods and leaving my troubles behind me. I work
at a gym, and I have members talk to me all the time about how for them the gym is an escape.
Others might find this in a book, or by listening to music. For my boyfriend, Matt, its working
on cars. Again coping seems to be something we all approach in different ways.
My knowledge and understanding of coping has grown while researching my inquiry
question: What things do people find to help cope with their circumstances during times of
hardship? Ive found that there is no one clear answer to this question. This question can be
answered a thousand different ways, depending on who you ask. According to Dr. Laurie Ann
Pearlman the key is building RICH relationships (9/11 and Beyond). For me its running and for
Liesel its reading and causing trouble with Rudy. Some people find ways to grow and learn from
traumatic experiences, as Suzanne Raga did. Others struggle to overcome these events and suffer
anxiety, as Jacki McKinney did (9/11 and Beyond). The bottom-line seems to be this, coping is
different for everyone. As individuals we all find different and even unique ways to cope when
faced by adversity.

Works Cited
Carr, Camilla. "Coping with Kidnap." Bond. Web. 29 Mar. 2015
"Coping Mechanisms." Coping Mechanisms. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
Dakel, Sharon, Christine Mandl, and Zahava Solomon. Shared and Unique Predictors of Post
Traumatic Growth and Distress. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 67.3(2011): 241-252.
Print. 16 Mar. 2015
LeDoux, Joseph E., Ph.D, and Jack M. Gorman, M. D. A Call to Action: Overcoming Anxiety
Through Active Coping.: American Journal of Psychology: Vol 158, No 12. N.p., Dec.
2001. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Parsh, Robert. 9/11 and Beyond: Coping Strategies for Trauma and Stress. New York, N.Y:
Films Media Group, 2005. Internet Resource. 16 Mar. 2015.
Raga, Suzanne. "Surviving and Thriving: 3 Lessons About Dealing with Hard Times." Tiny
Buddha. N.p., 06 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.