Psychological Reactions to Osama bin Laden's Killing

Americans listening to news reports and President Barack Obama’s speech last Sunday night, May 1, felt all sorts of feelings: shock, disbelief, happiness, security and even fear and disgust. Although media focused at first on crowds of Americans celebrating Osama bin Laden’s death, the psychological reactions are complex and involve more than feelings of joy.

<< A whole spectrum of reactions >>

“I think that there are a variety of potential reactions,” said Dr. Philip Muskin, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University. “I think on one side is perhaps a sense of relief … even happiness that somebody who’s caused such terrible misery to many people … has been killed.”

Gerard Jacobs, a professor and director of the Disaster Mental Health Institute, said in an email that there are not many common reactions.

“Individuals tend to vary dramatically in their reactions to events,” Jacobs said. “I think that there is likely to be widespread relief that this particular chapter of the war on terror has ended, together with relief that all of the Navy SEALs involved are safe. But I suspect that the death of bin Laden has also awakened many memories of the attacks of Sept. 11, for those directly involved, their families, those who served as responders to that event, and for Americans in general.”

Hearing the news caused a sudden emotional and psychological reaction for many Americans, despite the variety in feelings.

“I think the news matters and has an immediate psychological impact,” said Susan Lipkins, a psychologist in New York, in an email. “It is a moment in history that is very significant.”

<< Rejoicing over bin Laden’s death >>

That fact that 9/11 was planned and not accidental makes these emotions more intense. For example, Americans might feel a sense of revenge.

“He masterminded this, he did this terrible thing to us and we’ve killed him, we’ve exacted revenge,” Muskin said, referring to how people might view the killing.

Some thought this day would never come.

“I think the initial reaction for many was joy, since Osama had vowed that we would never catch him,” said Sheila Erlich, a psychologist in New York. “I do think the people of America feel proud and most who were interviewed hope that that there would be peace in the world now.”

Although the killing doesn’t bring back family members and friends who died on 9/11, people may still feel a sense of relief.

“This puts an end to some part of their emotional turmoil,” said Muskin, who personally witnessed the Twin Towers fall down outside of his office. “It completes the circle, it completes the gestalt for them. And that’s understandable.

Lipkins acknowledged how feelings of happiness and sadness can be bundled together.

“Most people are overjoyed and relieved,” Lipkins said. “I think there may also be a bittersweet moment; a reminder of all the destruction caused by bin Laden.”

There could be a sense of security after the killing, since “the bad guy” is gone, but it might be a false sense of security.

“While folks may feel a sense of relief, I think most people understand that al Qaeda was not simply one person, and that there remain many people around the world who are committed to acts of violence against innocent people, perversely proclaiming such actions in the name of Allah,” Jacobs said.

Yet it’s hard not to feel secure after hearing how complex and planned the killing was.

“There are some qualities to this that are quite remarkable,” Muskin said, referring to the Navy SEALs raid. “For some people that’s probably dramatically reassuring, you know that there really are guys out there who are keeping us safe at night and hunted for this guy and were out there to keep us safe, risking their own lives.”

The success of the raid can encourage feelings of pride.

“From the perspective of Americans, there can be a sense of pride in those who risked their lives to achieve this mission,” said Raymond Hanbury, a psychologist in New Jersey and a part of the American Psychological Association’s Disaster Response Network, in an email.

There is a feeling of unity with other Americans after such an important milestone in American history.

“There was clearly a sense of unity among Americans, since we all knew that the goal from 9/11 was to capture or kill this man who caused so much loss to so many,” Hanbury said. “It likely reinforces the strong positive feelings for our military men and women who are overseas fighting the war. Any time we have a showing of unity, it gives a picture of strength.”

This unity hopefully will be more long-lasting, Jacobs said.

“I hope that this event can contribute to having the nation focus on working together to move forward rather than focusing on politically extreme positions, and recapture some of the sense of national unity shared after the attacks of September 11, 2001,” he said.

The killing also makes some people feel more in control.

“We all like a world in which we can feel in control,” Muskin said.

<< Anxiety and fear after the killing >>

Others might not feel completely satisfied by bin Laden’s death.

“I’ve already heard this from patients … that there’s some increased anxiety,” Muskin said. “‘Well are they going to get back at us?’ ‘Is there going to be more reprisal?’ ‘Will this just make things worse?’”

He believes that some anxiety is understandable in this situation.

“For some people this will actually make them more afraid and more anxious,” Muskin said. “For some people they’ll realistically feel, ‘Well, this guy did a bad thing and now we’ve killed him, and so sort of that episode is ended, but terrorism isn’t gone and all these bad people out there in the world aren’t gone, just one bad person is gone.’”

But at some point, the anxiety needs to be reduced.

“There’s no reason to be more anxious today than on Sunday when we heard about this, but nonetheless I certainly see how someone could be made more anxious,” Muskin said. “People who are very upset by this, they should talk to somebody.”

In rarer cases where the reactions are more intense and long-lasting, professional help could be useful.

“If you’re very distressed by this, that’s probably you and it has nothing to do with Osama bin Laden’s death, but this just becomes a way it expresses itself,” Muskin said. “If you’re overjoyed, enjoy your being overjoyed and then go back to normal. But if you’re distressed, people who are distressed by this and people who are now even more afraid to fly, that to me would be a sign if there’s something else.”

These more intense fears and anxieties could be a sign of displacement.

“Our own personal conflicts attach to things outside of ourselves,” Muskin said. “The common version of this is your boss gives you a huge amount of grief, and you come home and you kick the cat. The cat didn’t do anything to you, but to kick the cat, it’s displaced.”

He cautions over-pathologizing people when they are having normal responses, but also realizes that there are signs to look for.

“If a patient came to me and was more distressed, I would at least be thinking ‘What is this connecting to in this individual?’” Muskin said.

Lipkins suggests talking to family and friends about intense feelings and emotions, as well as writing them down. Erlich advises listening less to the news if that is causing the negative reactions, and Hanbury suggests implementing coping skills.

“As with any incident that can raise one's anxiety or insecurity, we need to implement the coping skills that most of us have,” he said. “Coping strategies can include such things as talking to others, relaxation techniques, stress management, etc.”

<< Having realistic expectations >>

Despite some happiness at bin Laden’s death, people still hold realistic views.

“For some people, while this does put a particularly tragic chapter of United States history in a certain perspective, I don’t think it reduces their anxiety or their fear,” Muskin said. “My patients who are afraid to fly, they’re still afraid to fly.”

Jacobs suggests a sense of caution at a reasonable level, and a realization that terrorist attacks don’t occur often.

“Energy is much more effectively invested in living a more healthy lifestyle than in fearing terrorist attacks,” he said.

Yet there is still the possibility of retaliation.

“Just because Bin Laden has been killed, we know that this does not end the need for vigilance and awareness of our surroundings, nor does it mean a reduction of security measures,” Hanbury said. “If anything, it likely means a need for a heightened awareness of a possible attempt at retaliation.”

<< Internal conflict over the righteousness of the killing >>

Then there are moral issues involved in bin Laden’s killing, which can create internal conflict.

“For many people, we still killed somebody,” Muskin said.

Despite Osama bin Laden being the most wanted terrorist, he still wasn’t tried before a jury, and recent reports reveal he was unarmed during the raid.

“This is a terrible, unjustified act period,” Muskin said, remembering 9/11. “And so for some people his death is conflictual in that you’re not supposed to kill. On the other hand, it does say an eye for an eye.”

This internal conflict can be difficult to work out, and it might even require the help of a religious leader for people who are concerned about religious values and morals.

“For some people this is … good that we killed him because he was evil and we got rid of evil, but bad that we had to kill him,” Muskin said.

The decision to celebrate the death of a murderer should be an individual choice.

“I think that whether someone celebrates over the death of a fellow human being is a personal moral decision,” Jacobs said.

Lipkins thinks in this case it is justified to celebrate the killing of bin Laden.

“I think it is appropriate to celebrate the death of a murderer such as bin Laden,” Lipkins said.

There is a deep-rooted reasoning behind this celebration of the killing.

“The conflict between good vs. evil is at the core of all religions and civilizations,” Lipkins said. “People generally like to identify with the ‘good guy.’ Therefore, when a ‘bad guy’ is killed there is a sense of victory, a feeling of justice, and a wish that good will conquer evil; and that for one day, perhaps it has.”

Hanbury also suggests this celebration of bin Laden’s death doesn’t need to be viewed in a negative light.

“One may need to think of this as people showing a sense of victory that the man who was the leader regarding the terrorist attacks has been killed,” he said. “The ‘celebration’ can also be seen as part of the sense of unity.”

<< Conspiracy theories >>

For some, this killing is a chance to consider conspiracy theories, spreading the word that there is no proof and no reason to believe bin Laden is dead or ever even existed.

“There are people like that with everything,” Muskin said. “There are people who say the Holocaust didn’t exist.”

Of course, the bin Laden killing isn’t the beginning or end of conspiracy theories.

“Those people who do not trust the media or the government will continue to have their doubts,” Lipkins said.

Paranoia could play a role in these conspiracy theories, Erlich said.

Some of the doubts could be from the lack of specific information and differing accounts.

“There can always be the skeptics but there has not been a lot of talk of doubt about the event,” Hanbury said. “As days go by, we may see some of this doubting and questioning of just what did happen. We know the question from the White House now is do they release the [tapes] and pictures of this event.”

<< Accepting individual differences >>

Overall, people can accept the differences in how they view bin Laden’s killing.

“There’s not a right way to respond to this, not for any of us. There’s all personal ways,” Muskin said. “I do think that we can’t say that there is one reaction to be expected, but that there are many reactions that should be expected, which run I think an entire range, from joy to terror, and that we all deserve our own reactions.”

After exploring all the different kinds of psychological and emotional reactions to bin Laden’s killing, what would you say was your initial reaction? Did you change your mind later on?

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Tags:

• Anxiety
• Mental Health
• Emotional Health