Dr. Aimee Nasser-Karam, Adult Clinical Psychologist, Board Member at IDRAAC & at « The Third Voice for Lebanon », gave an interview for Annahar where she commented on emotions during the Lebanese Revolution, focusing on these main ideas:
-The driving force of the Lebanese Revolution is a common state of awareness and needs. The right to deserve a better life, a better country, a better governance.
-Emotions are expressed differently depending on the context (on the the street, at home, at university, on social media, etc…). Streets and social media are platforms for public expressions of emotions with no censure nor filters, which might prime raw emotional material, conducive to high intensity, of fusion but also of anger.
-Media should be responsible in portraying the reality on the ground as it is, with no bias, nor distortions and misinformation.
-Residual trauma and Cold War status are barriers and sources of big struggles and unreadiness to forgive and participate in the process of change
- Guidance on developing skills on how to manage challenging moments and emotions, opposing opinions and frustrating statements could offer significant help.
-Accepting negotiations, enhancing dialogue, openness to others, shifting priorities from oneself and personal beliefs towards the concept of citizenship and national cohesion.
You can check the full interview in Arabic on the following link.
(Photo Credit Annahar)