Violence as a Public Health Issue
We view violence as the major public health issue of the 21st century – the threat that will determine whether we survive as a species or not. The personal is indeed, political. In her landmark book, Trauma and Recovery, Dr. Judith Herman wrote that
To study psychological trauma is to come face to face both with human vulnerability in the natural world and with the capacity for evil in human nature. To study psychological trauma means bearing witness to horrible events. When the events are natural disasters or “acts of God”, those who bear witness sympathize readily with the victim. But when the traumatic events are of human design, those who bear witness are caught in the conflict between victim and perpetrator. It is morally impossible to remain neutral in this conflict. The bystander is forced to take sides (p.7).
ACES Study and Allostatic Load
Violent and Nonviolent Organizations
Bloom, Failure to Protect: The Bystander Effect
Psychohistory Papers
- Bloom, S. L. (1994). American Health Care: They Say There’s A Crisis But a Crisis of What? Journal of Psychohistory, 21(3): 301-332.
- Bloom, S. L. (1994) Hearing the Survivor’s Voice: Sundering the Wall of Denial. Journal of Psychohistory, 21(4): 461-477.
- Bloom, S. L. (1993). The Clinical Uses of Psychohistory. The Journal of Psychohistory, 20(3): 259-266.
- Bloom, S. L. (1993). Psychodynamics of Preventing Child Abuse. The Journal of Psychohistory, 21(1):53-67.
- Bloom, S. L. (1992) National Dilemma: Can we Heal Ourselves?, The Journal of Psychohistory, 19(3): 281-305.
- Bloom, S. L. (1991) The Gulf War as Adolescent Crisis, The Journal of Psychohistory 19(1): 85-96.
Social and Political Legacy of Trauma
- Bloom, S. L. (2010) Bridging the Black Hole Of Trauma: The Evolutionary Significance of the Arts. Psychotherapy and Politics International 8(3): 198-212.
- Bloom, S. L. (2009) An Elephant In The Room: The Impact Of Traumatic Stress On Individuals and Groups. In Brown, K. and Bergo, B. (eds) The Trauma Controversy: Philosophical and Interdisciplinary Dialogues. Albany: SUNY, 2009 (pp.143-169).
- Bloom, S. L. (2006) Societal Trauma: Danger and Democracy. Editor, Nick Totten. Politics and Psychotherapy. London: Open University Press
- Bloom, S. L. (2006) Neither liberty nor safety: The impact of trauma on individuals, institutions, and societies. Part IV. Psychotherapy and Politics International4(1): 4-23.
- Bloom, S. L. (2005) Neither liberty nor safety: The impact of trauma on individuals, institutions, and societies. Part III. Psychotherapy and Politics International3(2): 96-111
- Bloom, S. L. (2004) Neither liberty nor safety: The impact of trauma on individuals, institutions, and societies. Part I. Psychotherapy and Politics International2(2): 78-98.
- Bloom, S. L. (2004) Neither liberty nor safety: The impact of trauma on individuals, institutions, and societies. Part II. Psychotherapy and Politics International2(3): 212-228.
- Bloom, S. L. (2005) The system bites back: Politics, parallel process and the notion of change Therapeutic Community: The International Journal for Therapeutic and Supportive Organizations 26(4, Silver Jubilee Issue): 337-354.
- Bloom, S. L. (2004) The Importance of dissent: A meditation on the dangers of danger. ISF News, Institute for Safe Families Newsletter, p.10-11, Spring
- Bloom, S. L., Ed. (2001) Violence: A Public Health Epidemic and a Public Health Approach. London: Karnac Press.
- Bloom, S. L. (2001) In the Aftermath of September 11, Newsletter, The Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia, Fall, 2001.
- Bloom, S. L (2001) Commentary: Reflections on the Desire for Revenge. Journal of Emotional Abuse 2(4): 61-94.
- Bloom, S. L. (2000). The Right to Bear Arms. E-mail From America. The Psychotherapy Review, 2(4): 156-158.
- Bloom, S. L. (1999). Victims and the Media: Addressing the Problems. E-Mail From America. The Psychotherapy Review 1(5): 211-212.
- Bloom, S. L. (1999).Restorative vs. Retributive Justice. E-Mail From America, The Psychotherapy Review 1(6): 259-260.
- Bloom, S. L. (1998). By The Crowd They Have Been Broken, By the Crowd They Shall Be Healed: The Social Transformation of Trauma. In R. Tedeschi, C. Park, and L. Calhoun. Post-Traumatic Growth: Theory and Research on Change in the Aftermath of Crises. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
- Bloom, S. L. and Reichert, M. (1998) Bearing Witness: Trauma and Collective Responsibility. (1998). Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.
- Bloom, S. L. (1996). Every Time History Repeats Itself the Price Goes Up: The Social Reenactment of Trauma. Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity 3(3): 161-194.
- Bloom, S. L. (1995). When Good People Do Bad Things: Meditations on the Backlash. Journal of Psychohistory, 22 (2): 273-304.
- Bloom, S. L. (1995) The Germ Theory Of Trauma: The Impossibility of Ethical Neutrality. (1995) B.H. Stamm, (Ed). Secondary Traumatic Stress: Self Care Issues for Clinicians, Researchers and Educators. Sidran Foundation. (pp: 257-276).
