Browsing by Author "Leal-Soto, Francisco"
Generating Subjective Theories After a Disaster: The Role of Personality Generación de teorías subjetivas después de un desastre: el papel de la personalidad Geração de teorias subjetivas após um desastre: o papel da personalidade
(2021) González-Palta, Ingrid; Castro-Carrasco, Pablo; Cabrera, Enzo; Jamet, Paulina; Leal-Soto, Francisco
The role of people's beliefs in their perception of disasters has been scarcely studied. In this study, we analyzed how people who experienced an earthquake and a subsequent tsunami employ subjective theories (ST) to explain their traumatic experience. This study aimed to interpret the explanations developed by a group of people about the earthquake and tsunami that took place in Chile in 2015. Thirteen episodic interviews were conducted as part of a qualitative case study. The participants' theories were grouped into four categories: the impact of personality on one's reaction to hardships; the existence of a link between personality and coping styles; the limited influence of personality on one's way of coping with difficulties; and changes in personality after experiencing hardships. These findings are discussed analyzing whether the participants' explanations could foster personal growth and psychological well-being after the catastrophe.