Crisis

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Crisis

A crisis (plural: crises) (from the Greek ???s??) may occur on a personal or societal level. It may be a traumatic

Psychological trauma

Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event. When that trauma leads to posttraumatic stress disorder, damage may involve physical changes inside the brain and to brain chemistry, which affect the person's ability to cope with Stress ....
or stressful

Stress (medicine)

Stress is a biological term which refers to the consequences of the failure of a human or animal body to respond appropriately to emotional or body threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined....
change in a person's life

Life

Life is a characteristic of organisms that exhibit certain biological processes such as chemical reactions or other events that results in a transformation....
, or an unstable and dangerous social situation, in political, social

Social

Social refers to a characteristic of living organisms . It always refers to the interaction of organisms with other organisms and to their collective co-existence, irrespective of whether they are aware of it or not, and irrespective of whether the interaction is voluntary or involuntary....
, economic, military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
affair

Affair

For other uses, see Love Affair or ScandalAn affair may refer to a form of forms of nonmonogamy, to infidelity or to adultery. Where an affair lacks both overt and covert sexual behaviour and yet exhibits intense or enduring emotional intimacy it is called an emotional affair....
s, or a large-scale environmental event, especially one involving an impending abrupt change. More loosely, it is a term meaning 'a testing time' or 'emergency event'.

Main article: Poverty
Poverty

Poverty is the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens....
.

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A crisis (plural: crises) (from the Greek ???s??) may occur on a personal or societal level. It may be a traumatic
Psychological trauma

Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event. When that trauma leads to posttraumatic stress disorder, damage may involve physical changes inside the brain and to brain chemistry, which affect the person's ability to cope with Stress ....
or stressful
Stress (medicine)

Stress is a biological term which refers to the consequences of the failure of a human or animal body to respond appropriately to emotional or body threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined....
change in a person's life
Life

Life is a characteristic of organisms that exhibit certain biological processes such as chemical reactions or other events that results in a transformation....
, or an unstable and dangerous social situation, in political, social
Social

Social refers to a characteristic of living organisms . It always refers to the interaction of organisms with other organisms and to their collective co-existence, irrespective of whether they are aware of it or not, and irrespective of whether the interaction is voluntary or involuntary....
, economic, military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
affair
Affair

For other uses, see Love Affair or ScandalAn affair may refer to a form of forms of nonmonogamy, to infidelity or to adultery. Where an affair lacks both overt and covert sexual behaviour and yet exhibits intense or enduring emotional intimacy it is called an emotional affair....
s, or a large-scale environmental event, especially one involving an impending abrupt change. More loosely, it is a term meaning 'a testing time' or 'emergency event'.

Poverty-related crisis

Main article: Poverty
Poverty

Poverty is the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens....
. See also Charitable organization
Charitable organization

The definition of charitable organization, and of charity, varies according to the country and in some instances the region of the country in which the charitable organization operates....

Poverty is a condition in which a person or community is deprived of, and or lacks the essentials for a minimum standard of well-being and life. These essentials may be material resources such as food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
, safe drinking water
Drinking water

Drinking water is water that is of sufficiently high quality so that it can be consumed or utilized without risk of immediate or long term harm....
, and shelter, or they may be social resources such as access to information
Information access

Information access is an area of informatics and library science which concerns ensuring free and open access to information. Information access covers many issues such as copyright, open source, privacy, and security....
, education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
, health care
Health care

File:Ear surgery on a patient.jpgFile:Monoclonal antibodies3.jpgHealth care, or healthcare, refers to the treatment and management of illness, and the preservation of health through services offered by the Medicine, pharmaceutical, Dentistry, clinical laboratory sciences , nursing, and allied health professions....
, social status
Social status

In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . The stratification system, which is the system of distributing rewards to the members of society, determines social status....
, political power
Political power

Political power is a type of power held by a political organization in a society which allows administration of some or all of public resources, including labour, and wealth....
, or the opportunity to develop meaningful connections with other people in society. For the individual it is a personal crisis. When poverty afflicts large numbers of people it becomes a social crisis.

Poverty-related crises include:

Malnutrition is the lack of sufficient nutrients to maintain healthy bodily functions and is typically associated with poverty
Poverty

Poverty is the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens....
, especially extreme poverty
Extreme poverty

Extreme poverty is the most severe state of poverty. Many cannot meet basic needs for food, water, shelter, sanitation, and health care. To determine the affected population, the World Bank Group defines extreme poverty as living on less than $1.25 per day ....
in economically developing countries
Developing country

A developing country is a country that has often low standards of democracy, industrialisation, Social work, and Human rights for its citizens....
. It is a common cause of reduced intelligence
Mental retardation

Mental retardation is a generalized, triarchic disorder, characterized by subaverage cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors with onset before the age of 18....
in parts of the world affected by famine
Famine

A famine is a widespread shortage of food that may apply to any faunal species, which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased death....
.

A famine is a social and economic crisis that is commonly accompanied by widespread malnutrition
Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a general term for a medical condition caused by an improper or inadequate diet and nutrition.According to the World Health Organization, hunger and malnutrition are the single gravest threats to the world's public health and malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child mortality, present in half of all cases....
, starvation
Starvation

Starvation is a severe reduction in vitamin, nutrient, and energy intake, and is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation causes permanent organ damage and, eventually, death....
, epidemic
Epidemic

In epidemiology, an infection that is epidemic appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is "expected," based on recent experience ....
and increased mortality
Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
.

Malnutrition crisis intervention
Forms of malnutrition intervention and prevention on the social level include:
In developed countries
Food bank
Food bank

A food bank is a non-profit organization which distributes non-perishable goods and perishable food items to non-profit agencies involved in local emergency food programs....
Soup kitchen
Soup kitchen

A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the poor and homeless for Gratis or at a reasonably low price....

Unemployment and Underemployment

Unemployment is the condition of willing workers lacking jobs or "gainful employment".

In the absence of a job when a person needs one, it can be difficult to meet financial obligations such as purchasing food to feed oneself and one's family, and paying one's bills; failure to make mortgage payments or to pay rent may lead to homelessness
Homelessness

Homelessness is the condition and social category of people who lack housing, because they cannot afford, or are otherwise unable to maintain, regular, safe, and adequate shelter....
through foreclosure
Foreclosure

Foreclosure is the legal and professional proceeding in which a Mortgage#Mortgage lender, or other lienholder, usually a lender, obtains a court ordered termination of a Mortgage#Borrower's equity right of Redemption_value....
or eviction
Eviction

Eviction is the removal of a tenant from leasehold estate by the landlord.Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, eviction may also be known as unlawful detainer, summary possession, summary dispossess, forcible detainer, ejectment, and repossession, among other terms....
. Being unemployed, and the financial difficulties and loss of health insurance
Health insurance

The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of insurance that pays for medical expenses. It is sometimes used more broadly to include insurance covering Disability insurance or Long term care insurance needs....
benefits that come with it, may cause malnutrition and illness, and are major sources of mental stress and loss of self-esteem
Self-esteem

In psychology, self-esteem reflects a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth.Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions ....
which may lead to depression
Clinical depression

Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by a pervasive depression , low self-esteem, and anhedonia in normally enjoyable activities....
, which may have a further negative impact on health
Health

In 1948, the World Health Organisation defined health as ?a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? ...
.

Lacking a job often means lacking social contact with fellow employees, a purpose for many hours of the day, lack of self-esteem
Self-esteem

In psychology, self-esteem reflects a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth.Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions ....
, mental stress and illness, and of course, the inability to pay bills and to purchase both necessities and luxuries. The latter is especially serious for those with family obligations, debts, and/or medical costs, where the availability of health insurance
Health insurance

The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of insurance that pays for medical expenses. It is sometimes used more broadly to include insurance covering Disability insurance or Long term care insurance needs....
is often linked to holding a job.

Unemployment intervention

Main article: Aiding the unemployed
Unemployment

File:World map of countries by rate of unemployment.pngUnemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work, but the person is without Wage labour....

Forms of unemployment intervention and management include:
Job hunting
Job hunting

Job hunting or job seeking is the act of looking for employment, due to unemployment or discontent with a current position. The immediate goal of job seeking is usually to obtain a job interview with an employer which may lead to getting Recruitment....
Temporary work
Temporary work

Temporary work or temporary employment refers to a situation where the employee is expected to leave the employer within a certain period of time....
Unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefit

Unemployment benefits are payments made by governments to unemployment people. It may be based on a compulsory para-governmental insurance system....

Economic crisis

Main articles: Economic crisis
Crisis (economic)

In economics, crisis is a term in Marxian theory, referring to the sharp transition to a recession. See for example 1994 economic crisis in Mexico, Argentine economic crisis , South American economic crisis of 2002, Economic crisis of Cameroon....
and Financial crisis
Financial crisis

The term financial crisis is applied broadly to a variety of situations in which some financial institutions or assets suddenly lose a large part of their value....

An economic crisis is a sharp transition to a recession
Recession

In economics, the term recession describes the reduction of a country's gross domestic product for at least two Calendar_year#Quarters. The usual dictionary definition is "a period of reduced economic activity", a business cycle contraction....
. See for example 1994 economic crisis in Mexico
1994 economic crisis in Mexico

The 1994 Economic Crisis in Mexico, widely known as the Mexican peso crisis, was triggered by the sudden devaluation of the Mexican peso in the early days of Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Le?n presidency....
, Argentine economic crisis (1999-2002)
Argentine economic crisis (1999-2002)

The Argentine economic crisis was part of the situation that affected Argentina's Economy of Argentina during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Macroeconomics speaking, the critical period started with the decrease of real Gross Domestic Product in 1999 and ended in 2002 in Argentina with the return to GDP growth, but the origins of the collaps...
, South American economic crisis of 2002
South American economic crisis of 2002

The South American Economic Crisis is the economic disturbances which have developed in 2002 in the South America countries of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay....
, Economic crisis of Cameroon
Economic crisis of Cameroon

The Cameroonian economic crisis was a downturn in the economy of Cameroon from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s. The crisis resulted in rising prices in Cameroon, balance of trade, and loss of government revenue....
.

A financial crisis
Financial crisis

The term financial crisis is applied broadly to a variety of situations in which some financial institutions or assets suddenly lose a large part of their value....
may be a banking crisis or currency crisis
Currency crisis

A currency crisis, which is also called a balance-of-payments crisis, occurs when the value of a currency changes quickly, undermining its ability to serve as a medium of exchange or a store of value....
.

Environmental crisis
Crises pertaining to the environment include:

Environmental disaster

An environmental disaster is a disaster
Disaster

File:Post-and-Grant-Avenue.-Look.jpgA disaster is the tragedy of a natural hazard or man-made hazard that negatively affects society or environment ....
that is due to human activity and should not be confused with natural disaster
Natural disaster

A natural disaster is the consequence of a natural hazard which affects human activities. Human vulnerability, exacerbated by the lack of planning or appropriate emergency management, leads to financial, environmental or human losses....
s (see below). In this case, the impact of humans' alteration of the ecosystem
Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical factors of the environment....
has led to widespread and/or long-lasting consequences. It can include the deaths of animals (including humans) and plant systems, or severe disruption of human life, possibly requiring migration.

Natural disaster

A natural disaster is the consequence of a natural hazard
Hazard

A 'hazard' is a situation which poses a level of threat to life, health, property or natural environment. Most hazards are dormant or potential, with only a theoretical risk of harm, however, once a hazard becomes 'active', it can create an emergency situation....
(e.g. volcanic eruption, earthquake
Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph....
, landslide
Landslide

File:Guatemala landslide.jpgA landslide is a List of geological phenomena which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments....
) which moves from potential in to an active phase, and as a result affects human activities. Human vulnerability, exacerbated by the lack of planning or lack of appropriate emergency management
Emergency management

Emergency management is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. It is a discipline that involves preparing for disaster before it occurs, disaster response , as well as supporting, and rebuilding society after natural hazards or man-made hazards disasters have occurred....
, leads to financial, structural, and human losses. The resulting loss depends on the capacity of the population to support or resist the disaster, their resilience. This understanding is concentrated in the formulation: "disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability
Vulnerability

Vulnerability is the susceptibility to physical or emotional injury or attack. It also means to have one's guard down, open to censure or criticism; assailable....
". A natural hazard will hence never result in a natural disaster in areas without vulnerability, e.g. strong earthquakes in uninhabited areas.

For lists of natural disasters, see the list of disasters or the list of deadliest natural disasters.

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in number, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. An endangered species is usually a taxonomic species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
, but may be another evolutionary significant unit
Evolutionary Significant Unit

An Evolutionarily Significant Unit is a population of organisms that is considered distinct for purposes of Conservation ethic. Delineating ESUs is important when considering conservation action....
. The World Conservation Union
World Conservation Union

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is an international organization dedicated to natural resource Conservation ethic....
(IUCN) has calculated the percentage of endangered species as 40 percent of all organisms based on the sample of species that have been evaluated through 2006.

International crisis

For information about crises in the field of study in international relations
International relations

International relations represents the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, international organization , non-governmental organizations , and multinational corporations ....
, see crisis management
Crisis management

A crisis is a major, unpredictable event that threatens to harm an organization and its stakeholders. Although crisis events are unpredictable, they are not unexpected ....
and international crisis
International crisis

An international crisis is a crisis between states. There are many definitions of an international crisis. Snyder "...a sequence of interactions between the governments of two or more sovereign states in severe conflict, short of actual war, but involving the perception of a dangerously high probability of war"....
. In this context, a crisis can be loosely defined as a situation where there is a perception of threat, heightened anxiety, expectation of possible violence and the belief that any actions will have far-reaching consequences (Lebow, 7-10).

See also

Constitutional crisis
Constitutional crisis

A constitutional crisis is a severe breakdown in the orderly operation of government. Generally speaking, a constitutional crisis is a situation in which separate factions within a government disagree about the extent to which each of these factions hold sovereignty....
Coup d'état
Coup d'état

A coup d??tat , often simply called a coup, is the sudden unconstitutional overthrow of a government by a part of the state establishment – usually the military – to replace the branch of the stricken government, either with another civil government or with a military government....
Crisis state
Crisis state

A crisis state is a state under acute stress, where reigning institutions face serious contestation and are potentially unable to manage conflict and shocks....
Distress signal
Distress signal

A distress signal is an internationally recognized means for obtaining Helpfulness. Distress signals take the form of or are commonly made by using radio signals, displaying a visually detected item or illumination , or making an audible sound, from a distance....
Mayday
SOS
SOS

SOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal . This distress signal was first adopted by the German government in radio regulations effective April 1, 1905, and became the worldwide standard under the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention, which was signed on November 3, 1906 and became eff...
Ecological crisis
Ecological crisis

An ecological crisis occurs when the natural environment of a species or a population changes in a way that destabilizes its continued survival....
Energy crisis
Energy crisis

An energy crisis is any great Bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an Economics. It usually refers to the shortage of Petroleum and additionally to electricity or other natural resources....
Mid-life crisis
Mid-life crisis

Midlife crisis is a term used in Western culture to describe a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some individuals in the "middle years" of life, as a result of sensing the passing of youth and the imminence of old age....
Revolution
Revolution

A revolution is a fundamental social change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time....
War
War

...
Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management
Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management

The Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management is a multi-disciplinary, Peer review academic journal that covers all theoretical and practical aspects relating to crisis management....

Further reading

Borodzicz, E. P. 2005 'Risk, Crisis and Security Management' John Wileys, Chichester. ISBN 0-470-86704-3

Takis Fotopoulos
Takis Fotopoulos

Takis Fotopoulos , born , is a political philosophy and economist who founded the inclusive democracy movement. He is noted for his synthesis of the classical democracy with the libertarian socialism and the radical currents in the new social movements....
: Special Issue, "The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy
Inclusive Democracy

Inclusive Democracy is a political theory and political project that aim for direct democracy, economic democracy in a stateless society, moneyless and marketless economy, self-management and ecological democracy....
", 2005.
Lebow, RN, Between Peace and War: The Nature of International Crisis: 1981. The Rancho Bernardo Hopkins University Press, ISBN 0-8018-2311-0.