A Fire Tragedy - The Story of a Victim

Abstract

The literature on disaster clearly demonstrates the potential economic, social and psychological impact of the victims. Regardless of the level of its impact, the victims experience stress for disaster brings immediate, pervasive and catastrophic effects. Disaster directly threatens people's lives and destroys basic resources needed for survival. This paper traces the journey of a victim in the aftermath of a fire tragedy. It investigates the victim's various coping strategies so as to meet his well-being and face the reality of the tragedy. The role of social support as one of the victim's coping skill is also being investigated. Specifically, this paper will focus on the victim's subjective appraisal as one of the pervasive coping skills.