This Spring Operation Iraqi Freedom will have its
fifth anniversary. After more than one million deaths and about $490
billion U.S. dollars spent, we might reflect on just how free Iraq is.
At least we might look at the psychological fallout within the Iraqi population, specifically the war’s effects on teens.
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati conducted a survey that
measured the self-esteem of 1,000 Iraqi teens (including Sunni and
Shi’a) living in 10 neighborhoods in Baghdad.
All teens were exposed to news of assassinations, mortar attacks, car bombs, and other deadly threats.
The results are surprising. The more fear the teens felt, the higher
their self-esteem. Levels of self-esteem were actually as high as any
random sample of U.S. adolescents.
But the researchers say their findings are in line with a theory that
indirect threats to our sense of self (or in this case of one’s nation)
will cause us to take action to bolster our self-esteem. Perhaps it’s
linked to our sense of pride.
The word “indirect” is key here, because if it’s a direct threat, like
a gun to the head, our response is not, “I’m proud to be me,” but more,
“Uh oh.”
