In social psychology, shattered assumptions theory proposes that experiencing traumatic events can change how victims and survivors view themselves and the world.
Thus in her book Janoff-Bulman notes that the most common response she heard when doing research with very different victim populations was, "I never thought it could happen to me.
In other words, an outcome, positive or negative, makes sense when it corresponds to the person's behavior or character; such a world is predictable and what happens to us is not random.
[3] On the flipside, it is assumed that a good person encounters positive events, and that careful people who engage in the right behaviors can avoid negative outcome such as serious illness or debilitating accidents.
Thus, the early death of someone who is "deserving of good things" can shatter the assumption that the world is meaningful or logical.
The final fundamental assumption evaluates one's self as a positive, moral, and decent--and thus deserving of good outcomes in life.
Generally, this assumption enables an individual to maintain a belief that s/he has the ability to control positive or negative outcomes.
[5] Once one has experienced such assumption-shattering trauma, it is necessary for an individual to create new assumptions or modify their old ones to recover from the traumatic experience.
Basic life assumptions are norms that are generally not discussed or even recognized until they are questioned or challenged due to life-changing occurrences, such as criminal assault, serious illness or off-time loss of a loved one.
Coping from a traumatic experience is achievable, as long as the victim recognizes how the specific event is shaping their current life and learns new behavior that will change these negative thought patterns.
In an article by Eric Schuler and Adriel Boals, the authors were able to associate certain methods of therapy with coping with shattered assumptions.
[6] Prolonged exposure therapy allows the patient to reduce negative thoughts by becoming familiar with the traumatic event.
Terror management theory states that our self-esteem and worldviews serve as a mechanism to avoid the overwhelming fear and anxiety that we would normally face about death and suffering.
Like in the theory of shattered assumptions, the more positively individuals view themselves (through high self-esteem) and the world, the less anxiety they will face about death.