Effects Of Earthquake On College Students' Explicit And Implicit Self Evaluation

Major traumatic events are the threat of natural disasters, man-made disasters or violence which individual encountered to life and body. The process and mechanism of the effects of major traumatic events to self are important parts of study on psychology of trauma and self. Discussion on it will help to understand the psychological effects which various disasters bring to human, as well as offer targeted help on mental health in practice for survivors. Three researches have been implemented to understand the impacts of disasters on explicit and implicit self evaluation of college students who experienced earthquake disaster. In study 1, to understand the effects of disasters bring to the self under the condition of self memory, self-reference judgments and improved EAST were measured to investigate explicit and implicit self-evaluation of college students 16 months after 5.12 earthquake. In study 2, to understand the effects of earthquake disaster like information brings to the self, self-reference judgments and improved EAST were measured before and after to investigate explicit and implicit self-evaluation of college students 29 months after 5.12 earthquake. In study 3, the pictures of earthquake and flood were compared to investigate specificity of implicit susceptibility schema of earthquake.The conclusions of this study are as follows:(1)PPA was found after the earthquake in participants; however, positive self evaluation was not affected.(2) Survivors were more negative than others after the earthquake.(3) Recovery was found after 16 months and PTG was found after 29 months on explicit level in participants.(4)The exit of special implicit susceptibility schema of earthquake might be proved in self-concept of major earthquake survivors.(5)The schema might not be generalized to other disasters.