The Construction of Adversarial Growth in the Wake of a Hurricane

237 Pages·2015·0.79 MB·English

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USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations USF Graduate Theses and Dissertations
2011
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Beverly Lynn Mcclay Borawski
University of South Florida, [email protected]
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The Construction of Adversarial Growth in the Wake of a Hurricane

by

Beverly L. McClay Borawski

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Communication
College of Arts and Sciences
University of South Florida

Major Professor, Kenneth N. Cissna, Ph.D.
Carolyn Ellis, Ph.D.
Jane Jorgenson, Ph.D.
Graham A. Tobin, Ph.D.

Date of Approval
March 29, 2011

Keywords: Coping, Emotional Support,
Interpersonal Communication, Natural Disasters, Recovery

Copyright © 2011, Beverly L. McClay Borawski
DEDICATION
To Dr. Kenneth N. Cissna, my committee chair, advisor, professor, and
friend, thank you for your unflagging support, encouragement, insight, and
advice. The countless hours you have devoted to providing me with useful
feedback have been sustaining and inspiring.
To Drs. Carolyn Ellis, Jane Jorgenson, and Graham A. Tobin, thank you
for serving on my committee.
To my husband Tom and my children, Shari and T.J., thank you for your
patience, understanding, and unconditional love.
To my mother, Gloria McClay, thank you for believing in me and reminding
me to “Get it done!”
To my late father, William McClay, thank you for your example of setting
and achieving high goals.
To my Pasco-Hernando Community College colleagues and friends, thank
you for creating a nurturing environment that has strengthened and uplifted me,
making it possible to complete this project.
To the project participants, thank you for sharing your stories of
adversarial growth.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iv

CHAPTER 1: NATURAL DISASTERS AND ADVERSARIAL GROWTH .............. 1
Literature Review ....................................................................................... 4
Adversarial Growth .......................................................................... 4
Adversarial Growth and Positive Psychology Studies ..................... 7
Emotions .............................................................................. 7
Virtues .................................................................................. 9
Self-Perception ................................................................... 10
Relationships ...................................................................... 11
Stories ................................................................................ 12
Adversarial Growth and Hazards Studies ..................................... 13
Posttraumatic growth .......................................................... 14
Mental health ...................................................................... 18
Preparedness ..................................................................... 20
Adversarial Growth and Communication Studies .......................... 24
Crisis and emergency risk communication ......................... 25
Social support ..................................................................... 28
Storytelling .......................................................................... 35
Research Questions ................................................................................ 38
Summary ................................................................................................. 39

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 41
Method ..................................................................................................... 41
Participants ................................................................................... 44
The Brown family ................................................................ 51
The Smith family ................................................................. 52
The Allen family .................................................................. 53
The White family ................................................................. 53
The Dean family ................................................................. 54
The Thomas family ............................................................. 54
Interviews ...................................................................................... 54
Narrative interviews ............................................................ 57
Family group interviews ...................................................... 58
Analysis ......................................................................................... 59
Narrative analysis ............................................................... 59
Thematic analysis ............................................................... 60
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Summary……………… ............................................................................ 63

CHAPTER 3: NARRATIVES............................................................................... 64
The Brown Family .................................................................................... 65
The Smith Family ..................................................................................... 81
Jane Smith .................................................................................... 81
Chuck and Betty Smith .................................................................. 89
The Allen Family ...................................................................................... 98
The White Family ................................................................................... 105
The Dean Family ................................................................................... 115
The Thomas Family ............................................................................... 126

CHAPTER 4: THEMATIC ANALYSIS ............................................................... 134
Hurricane Time Periods ......................................................................... 135
Getting Ready Before a Hurricane .............................................. 135
Physical preparation ......................................................... 137
Mental preparation ........................................................... 143
Emotional preparation ...................................................... 146
Surviving During a Hurricane ...................................................... 148
Continual emotional support ............................................. 148
Keeping occupied ............................................................. 149
Religious faith ................................................................... 151
Up-to-Date information ..................................................... 152
Coping after a Hurricane ............................................................. 153
Government ...................................................................... 154
Charitable organizations ................................................... 157
Family ............................................................................... 160
Friends ............................................................................. 162
Religious faith ................................................................... 162
Stories .............................................................................. 163
Life perspective ................................................................ 164
Music ................................................................................ 165
Summary ............................................................................................... 166

CHAPTER 5: ADVERSARIAL GROWTH ......................................................... 168
Adversarial Growth Experiences ............................................................ 169
The Brown Family ....................................................................... 169
The Smith Family ........................................................................ 171
The Allen Family ......................................................................... 171
The White Family ........................................................................ 172
The Dean Family ......................................................................... 172
The Thomas Family .................................................................... 174
Adversarial Growth Factors ................................................................... 174
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Emotional Support ....................................................................... 174
Family ............................................................................... 175
Friends ............................................................................. 177
Neighbors ......................................................................... 177
Hurricane survivors .......................................................... 178
Stories .............................................................................. 178
Support groups ................................................................. 179
Worldview ................................................................................... 180
Appreciation ................................................................................ 184
Religious Faith ............................................................................ 188
Patience ...................................................................................... 191
Self-Reliance ............................................................................... 193
Teamwork ................................................................................... 194
Creativity ..................................................................................... 195
Relationships among Adversarial Growth Factors ................................. 196
Summary ............................................................................................... 198

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION............................................................................ 200
Summary ............................................................................................... 200
Potential Benefits ................................................................................... 202
Limitations .............................................................................................. 205
Implications ............................................................................................ 207

REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 209

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ......................................................................... END PAGE
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The Construction of Adversarial Growth in the Wake of a Hurricane
Beverly L. McClay Borawski
ABSTRACT
This study employed a qualitative approach to explore the factors that
contribute to positive change and growth following a natural disaster. The
qualitative methodology included narrative interviews and family group interviews
that were conducted with six families in Florida that had experienced two or three
hurricanes within six weeks in 2004. Narrative analysis and thematic analysis
were used to discover what factors contributed to participants experiencing
positive growth.
Participants described the experience of surviving and coping with the
hurricane. Participants reported that preparation before a hurricane was a three-
part process that involved physical, mental, and emotional preparation. Four
actions were referred to as helpful to stay positive during a hurricane: (a) drawing
on family, friends, and neighbors for continual emotional support; (b) keeping
occupied with a fun activity; (c) leaning on religious faith; (d) and listening to up-
to-date information. Families described nine sources of support that enabled
them to cope after the hurricane: (a) the government, (b) charitable
organizations, (c) homeowner’s insurance, (d) family, (e) friends, (f) religious
faith, (g) stories, (h) life perspective, and (i) music.
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Participants reported eight factors that encouraged adversarial growth.
Communicating emotional support within relationships was the most commonly
cited factor in recovery and growth after a hurricane, followed by worldview,
appreciation, religious faith, patience, self-reliance, teamwork, and creativity.
A holistic approach to disaster planning that includes consideration of
those elements that contribute to positive growth for the survivor is
recommended. Further research is needed to understand how to facilitate
adversarial growth among disaster survivors through emotional support and
interpersonal networks.
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CHAPTER 1
NATURAL DISASTERS AND ADVERSARIAL GROWTH
In human society at all its levels persons confirm one another in a practical
way to some extent or other in their personal qualities and capacities, and
a society may be termed human in the measure to which its members
confirm one another.
Martin Buber (1998, p. 57)
*****
Natural disasters can be terrible. They can destroy homes, livelihoods,
and communities. They can rip families apart. They can be costly and even
deadly. Some natural disasters can be predicted to some extent. Hurricanes are
one of these disasters.
Hurricanes are a threat to people every year. In the Atlantic hurricane
season, which includes the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 16
to 31 named storms occur every year with an average of 6 expected to be
hurricanes (National Hurricane Center, 2010c).
Hurricanes can be deadly and financially draining. In 1900, the unnamed
hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas, caused 8,000 deaths (Gibson, 2006).
Hurricane Andrew left 6.5 billion dollars of damage in the United States in 1992
(National Hurricane Center, 2010a). In 2005, Hurricane Katrina killed over 2000
2

people and cost an estimated 75 billion dollars (National Hurricane Center,
2010b).
Most people assume that after a devastating natural disaster everyone
who is affected suffers and that few people, if any, end up better in some way
than they were before. Stories of loss and tragedy have been told often and
rightly so. Still, there is another postdisaster story, a story of positive change and
growth, one that has not been told as often, but one that should be heard. At a
Project Hope “celebration of recovery” event a year after Hurricane Katrina that
was “designed to provide a bit of relaxation and fun as well as act as the
beginning of a support group for Katrina victims,” Anne Lindberg, a reporter for
the St. Petersburg Times, reported discovering that some Katrina survivors were
strengthened and grew from the experience (2006, pp. B1, B4). Rue Boggs, 41,
explained how the experience had changed her and her children: “They
appreciate everything,” she said. “They look at the world differently. Every day
there’s something and they laugh. I love that. They’re accepting people (as they
are). I love that” (Lindberg, p. B4). In another case, Lindberg quoted Linda
Pendleton, 50, as saying that the storm and its aftermath taught her how strong
she is.
The comments of Boggs and Pendleton indicate that they experienced
positive change and growth after the disaster, but what do we know about how
they reached this point? How do people get through a natural disaster and
experience positive growth? What keeps them from giving up? To what extent do
they rely on personal relationships and family for social and emotional support?