Congratulations to Petra Lexova who has been shortlisted for the Undergraduate Awards of Ireland and Northern Ireland
The essay discusses the emergence, development, and implementation of psychosocial programmes within the field of humanitarian aid.Psychosocial programmes are designed to relieve psychological suffering, and to prevent potential pathological emotional consequences in disaster-affected areas. Firstly, the essay examines increasing psychologization of Western societies, together with growing emphasis on the management of emotions (emotionalism). The essay then illustrates the emergence and shifting focus of the psychosocial programmes from trauma-centred to resilience-fostering. Finally, it is argued that the design of psychosocial programmes reflects the latest developments in the discourse based on the Western paradigm of human nature, and the individualistic prism of the Western psychology is challenged.
Undergraduate Awards of Ireland and Northern Ireland