Socio-psychological Recovery in Post-nuclear Fukushima, Japan: Affective Reactions to Media Portrayal in Photographs

After the 2011 Great East Japan disaster, residents of Fukushima were inundated with media photographs that painted a dire picture. As emotionally triggering photographs have been established as a potential barrier to recovery from trauma, there is a need to better understand their impact on the socio-psychological recovery of disaster survivors. Drawing from media system dependency theory and cognitive neuroscience, the affective circumplex model and an adaptive photo-elicitation interview technique offer unique understandings of affective responses to photographs. Results indicate that although impactful media photographs can act as recurring stimuli to the experienced disaster, over time they can also interrupt negative thought processes and encourage post-traumatic growth.