Geology-Psychology Link to Disasters

The two areas of study, psychology, and geology, at first glance, sound as if they would have no relation with each other, but they do go hand in hand. Geological factors that may take place in our world and personal environments but could affect us directly; physically, emotionally, and mentally. This is where the practice of psychology comes in, to treat the post issues caused by the geological aftermath.

Geology is the science of the history of the earth and past life that has been recorded through rocks it also includes environmental factors, such as natural disasters and their outcomes.

(Geology, n.d.) The main topic of geology that’s going to be looked at is the impact of environmental natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, flooding, etc. Natural disasters most often have negative impacts on individuals, communities, and countries wherever they take place. (Rafiey, Alipour, LeBeau, et al., 2019)

Psychology is the science of the behavioral sciences, the stud of mind, behavior, mental state, and/or characteristics of an individual’s mental health.

(Psychology, n.d.) Mental health is just as important as our physical health, it consists of how people think, feel, and act, and determines how a person will react to certain outcomes or challenges. These could be affected by biological factors (brain chemistry and/or genetics), experiences, and/or medical history. (“What Is Mental Health?”, n.d.) Psychological outcomes range across many mental illnesses individuals can have or develop which is helped through treatment and continuing research.

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The correlation between geology and psychology is what comes after a natural disaster, which has been increasing and making it a need for pre and post-disaster services. (Rafiey, et al., 2019) The relationship is that these natural disasters create stressors that impact the physical and mental health of people experiencing them. (Hansel, Osofsky, Speier, et al., 2019) Some research studies show that survivors of natural disasters have shown disobedience, aggression, somatic complaints, and depression, ranging from mild to severe emotional and behavioral problems. In some cases, it shows that children and teens develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (Tuicomepee & Romano, 2008)

For example, earthquakes have been the most devastating and alone have had 750,000 deaths within the years 1994 to 2013 more than other disasters combined. (Rafiey, et al., 2019) These losses alone are stressors to a person’s psychological well-being. Another example is the tsunami that struck Thailand in 2004, from a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, many homes were damaged, and a large number of people were killed and injured. From this, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that psychological distress was at a high of 90%. (Tuicomepee & Romano, 2008) These are prime examples of accounts in which these earth and geological factors impacted and required psychological services after.

Both geology and psychology have to work together due to cause and effect. Geological and environmental outcomes can happen suddenly, some causing destruction which allows psychology to come into play to address the needs of the people in guidance and well-being after any impact to their health, physically or mentally. The outcomes from these allow continuing research and advancements to understand the earth and predicting any environmental threats and understanding how mental health is impacted and what could be successful treatments.

References

Geology. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geology
Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychology
Rafiey, H., Alipour, F., LeBeau, R., Salimi, Y., & Ahmadi, S. (2019). Exploring the buffering
role of social capital in the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms among Iranian earthquake survivors. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi-org.hmlproxy.lib.csufresno.edu/10.1037/tra0000524
Tuicomepee, A., & Romano, J. L. (2008). Thai adolescent survivors 1 year after the 2004
tsunami: A mixed methods study. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55(3), 308–320. https://doi-org.hmlproxy.lib.csufresno.edu/10.1037/0022-0167.55.3.308
What Is Mental Health? | MentalHealth.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2020, from
https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health