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Catastrophes

Definition

In psychology terms, catastrophes refer to unpredictable large-scale events that cause a significant amount of stress and can have long-term psychological effects.

Analogy

Catastrophes are like earthquakes in our lives. They come without warning, shake everything up, and leave lasting damage that takes time to repair.

Related terms

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A disorder characterized by failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event.

Crisis: A time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger which requires immediate action.

Resilience: The process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress.

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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.