Kabul: Bombing Raids and Taliban Control

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Questions and Answers

The family's immediate response to the initial bombing, characterized by huddling and shared fear, most acutely exemplifies which psychological phenomenon prevalent in acute conflict situations?

Cognitive dissonance reduction, where shared fear serves to rationalize and normalize the experience of violence, diminishing individual anxiety.
Learned helplessness, manifesting as a passive acceptance of danger due to perceived lack of control over environmental stressors.
Attachment insecurity activation, leading to heightened proximity-seeking behaviors towards primary caregivers as a primal safety response. (correct)
Collective effervescence, wherein shared emotional experiences amplify group cohesion and resilience against external threats.

The children's development of a system to discern the proximity of fighting based on electricity outages represents a form of adaptive behavior most closely aligned with which concept in ecological psychology?

Environmental press adaptation, demonstrating a passive adjustment to environmental demands without actively altering the environment.
Behavioral plasticity, showcasing the capacity for phenotypic change in response to environmental cues, specifically threat detection. (correct)
Affordance perception, where the environment's properties are directly perceived in terms of possibilities for action, regardless of danger.
Ecological niche construction, actively modifying their immediate surroundings to mitigate the impacts of environmental stressors.

Malala's progressive expansion of her prayer's scope, from family to the entire world, during the bombings, can be best interpreted through the lens of which psychological defense mechanism, operating at a societal level?

Displacement, redirecting the anxiety and helplessness experienced in the immediate conflict zone towards a more abstract and diffuse concern for global peace. (correct)
Intellectualization, abstracting the emotional distress of immediate danger into a broader, philosophical concern for global well-being.
Sublimation, channeling unacceptable anxieties into socially constructive and universally benevolent desires for global peace and harmony.
Reaction formation, transforming the personal fear and vulnerability into an outwardly expressed, exaggerated concern for universal safety.

The narrative's depiction of the family becoming 'used to the bombing and shelling' to the extent that 'Atal slept through it' most accurately illustrates which neurobiological adaptation to chronic traumatic stress?

Habituation of the amygdala response, resulting in a diminished physiological and emotional reactivity to repetitive auditory stimuli associated with threat. (B) Signup and view all the answers

The initial rumor that 'The Taliban were going to take control of Swat' following the first night of bombing, despite the army's presence, best exemplifies which phenomenon in conflict-induced information environments?

Sensemaking under uncertainty, reflecting the population's attempt to construct a coherent narrative from ambiguous and frightening events in the absence of reliable official information. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Malala's recitation of Ayat al-Kursi, escalating the number of repetitions to extend the protective scope, demonstrates a form of ritualistic behavior most closely paralleling which concept in comparative religion and anthropology?

Apotropaic magic, employing ritual actions and incantations believed to ward off evil or misfortune and ensure safety through supernatural means. (B) Signup and view all the answers

The narrative statement, 'One day my prayer was answered. The army hadn't won, but it had at least driven the Taliban into hiding, if not away,' reflects a resolution that most accurately embodies which type of conflict outcome in political science?

Incomplete dominance and protracted insurgency, indicating a shift in tactical advantage without fundamental resolution of underlying conflict dynamics. (A) Signup and view all the answers

The contrast between the 'oddly still' air the morning after the initial bombing and the preceding night of intense violence highlights which psychological effect commonly observed in the aftermath of acute traumatic events within a community?

False sense of security, representing a temporary and illusory belief in safety following a traumatic event, often preceding a delayed stress reaction. (B) Signup and view all the answers

The father's 'frowning' reaction upon returning with the rumor, 'The Taliban were going to take control of Swat,' despite the army's operation, most likely indicates which form of cognitive appraisal in a high-stakes, uncertain environment?

Secondary appraisal emphasizing coping inadequacy, revealing a sense of helplessness and lack of agency in the face of the reported Taliban advancement. (D) Signup and view all the answers

The description of the army's shelling originating 'from helicopters and cannons fired from mountaintops' implicitly suggests a military strategy primarily aimed at achieving which tactical objective in asymmetric warfare?

Area denial, seeking to render territory unusable or inaccessible to the Taliban forces through indiscriminate and overwhelming firepower. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Bombing

An attack involving explosives, often used by the Taliban.

Shelling

Artillery attacks from helicopters and mountaintops, conducted by the army.