http://mba-geek.com/2009/02/dealing-with-survivor-guilt/ A technologist's foray into the business world Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:31:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://mba-geek.com/2009/02/dealing-with-survivor-guilt/comment-page-1/#comment-100 Owen Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:08:24 +0000 http://mba-geek.com/?p=181#comment-100 @Lynn: Thanks for your comment. I'll be quite honest, I had never heard of survivor guilt before reading the article mentioned above; but I can well believe how real it is and what problems can arise from it. At the end of the day, I believe that communication cures all ills in this case, and trying to sweep any redundancies under the carpet can be very damaging for companies. @Lynn: Thanks for your comment. I’ll be quite honest, I had never heard of survivor guilt before reading the article mentioned above; but I can well believe how real it is and what problems can arise from it. At the end of the day, I believe that communication cures all ills in this case, and trying to sweep any redundancies under the carpet can be very damaging for companies.

]]> http://mba-geek.com/2009/02/dealing-with-survivor-guilt/comment-page-1/#comment-99 Lynn E. O'Connor Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:53:26 +0000 http://mba-geek.com/?p=181#comment-99 Survivor guilt is very subtle. People are not usually aware of it --at least initially--when it hits then. What they might notice first is doing something that is against their own interests, something that drags them down, depriving themselves of something fun, rewarding or otherwise positive. This is the symptom that shows up, before self-awareness of feeling survivor guilt. To help people deal with survivor guilt it is important to describe it, to discuss the kinds of symptoms that show up, and how they are often concealed. People left in the work place may begin to run down their own role in the system, or their opinion of the work all together. It is crucial that they be permitted to express their sorrow at what has happened to others, and their feelings like "why didn't this happen to me?" It is then that they are able to develop awareness of guilt. Survivor guilt is irrational; someone is not alive, or employed, or successful because of the hardship that has happened to someone else. Reviewing the situation realistically is ultimately beneficial for those suffering from survivor guilt. Developing awareness of one's tendency to feel overly responsible for others will help. Allowing compassion while controlling feelings of omnipotence is perhaps the clearest path in situations known to induce painful survivor guilt. Survivor guilt is very subtle. People are not usually aware of it –at least initially–when it hits then. What they might notice first is doing something that is against their own interests, something that drags them down, depriving themselves of something fun, rewarding or otherwise positive. This is the symptom that shows up, before self-awareness of feeling survivor guilt. To help people deal with survivor guilt it is important to describe it, to discuss the kinds of symptoms that show up, and how they are often concealed. People left in the work place may begin to run down their own role in the system, or their opinion of the work all together. It is crucial that they be permitted to express their sorrow at what has happened to others, and their feelings like “why didn’t this happen to me?” It is then that they are able to develop awareness of guilt. Survivor guilt is irrational; someone is not alive, or employed, or successful because of the hardship that has happened to someone else. Reviewing the situation realistically is ultimately beneficial for those suffering from survivor guilt. Developing awareness of one’s tendency to feel overly responsible for others will help. Allowing compassion while controlling feelings of omnipotence is perhaps the clearest path in situations known to induce painful survivor guilt.

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