Which Theory Of Catastrophe Is Most Important? Us, And Why?

In society, there are groups that interact with each other. They may be families, churches, government agencies, or anything in between. Those groups can be defined as systems, and in the systems perspective that is what they are referred to (Hutchison, 2017). In the 1960s, Ludwig von Bertalanffy developed the general systems theory in relation to biology, but it was widely publicized and used for various subjects (Hutchison, 2017). Hutchison (2017) summarized Bertalanffy’s theory by saying, “any element is best understood by considering its interactions with its constituent parts as well as its interactions with larger systems of which it is a part.” (p.

subsystems and then tested because the interactions between the subsystems are critical for the system

A system is “A set of interrelated and interdependent parts arranged in a manner that produces a unified whole” (robbins 2006), and Systems theory is the

The first concept establishes that all parts of the system are interconnected (Kaakinen et al., 2015). Therefore, if one part of the system experiences a problem then the entire system will be affected. The second and third concepts are an extension of the first. The theory also recognizes that the larger system is composed of smaller subsystems (Kaakinen et al., 2015). However, the entire system is more complex than simply adding all the subsystems together. The final concept states the system has boundaries with internal and external environments (Kaakinen et al.,

Disasters are totalizing events, impacting and influencing every aspect of a community when they occur. As the anthropology of disaster grows, both in the number of publications and the number of researchers, the scope of topics related to disasters will also grow. Economic implications, vulnerable populations, and human ecology already contribute heavily to the

A natural disaster is never planned, how were they supposed to know about the earthquake? The rockslide? Blizzard? Tsunami? The survivors never actually planned on it happening, despite as many precautions they may have taken. “The Seventh Man” by Haruki Murakami is a perfect example of this, the main character lost his best friend to a wave that was completely unexpected. Even despite their precautions, as stated in paragraph 23, the main character telling his best friend, “The minute we get any wind, though, we’re going straight back home.” Regardless of these canniness, both of the characters were gravely affected by the unforeseen wave. Other cases that involve people being trapped, or hurt by a choice that they made, most victims will clarify that they did what they thought was best for survival. They did what they thought would keep them from dying, to somehow last long enough for an escape or

Natural disasters are the catastrophes cause by “Mother Nature”, which is often difficult to forecast or manage (Morrison, et al 2014). Examples of

more traditional sources such as coal or natural gas. In the article The Cost of

The General Systems Theory (GST) came about as an effort to describe the systems approach, born from the biological concept of the organism developed in the first part of the 20th century (Von Bertalanffy, 1972). In contrast to the mechanistic systems which are closed and have a direct relationship between a cause and its effect, a biological or social system is open, operating on a principle of equifinality, where regardless of the starting point, the objective can be achieved (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1972). Any system will achieve equilibrium, but an open system can reach a steady state by accessing resources from outside itself (Kast & Rosenzweig, 1972). The underlying assumptions of GST rely on the organization of a company resembling the inner workings of an organism. However, subgroups within organizations can act independently of the the whole, in

But the authorities were not prepared in advance to tackle a disaster of such measure and this resulted in a catastrophe.

Due to diverse geo-climatic conditions prevalent in different parts of the globe, different types of natural disasters like floods, droughts, earthquakes, cyclones, landslides, and volcanoes etc may strike according to the vulnerability of the area.

While natural disasters such as floods, drought and hurricanes are commonly thought to occur due to environmental forces such as weather, climate and tectonic movements; a deeper investigation into the ‘disaster’ displays other contributing forces. Human factors have a large, if not equal, contribution to the occurrance and outcome of such disasters (Pelling, 2001). As Pelling (2001) argues, there is both a physical and human dimension to ‘natural disasters’. The extent to which the natural occurrence of a physical process, such as a flood or earthquake, impacts on society is constructed by that society, creating a ‘disaster’ as measured by a

I will take Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear accident as an example to further understand how these two models work for recognizing the causations of accidents.

The majority of the US population lives near the coast, not just because the ocean is beautiful but because the ocean is a major hub of economic activity. The sea provides us with food and livelihoods along every coast of the United States and its territories. Commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries bring in many millions of pounds of fish and dollars each year to coastal communities. People also use the ocean and shoreline for a multitude of recreational and resourceful activities that allows one and many to live their daily life. Despite the development of planes, trains, and automobiles, shipping is still the major mode for transporting goods internationally, and many cities rely on their ports as a major source of revenue. The ocean is also valued for the natural resources that lie beneath the ocean floor. In the Gulf of Mexico there exists billions of dollars worth of oil and natural gas. The story of the shipping industry since the first steamships were built more than century ago has been one of ingenuity, professionalism and fabulous profits. Maritime transport encompasses all forms of transport by sea, intermodal links and inland ports but has certain difference from other modes of transport. Maritime economics is not only revolving around transportation, although the largest aspect of maritime economics; oil, natural gas, and mineral exploration all play an unprecedented amount in the worlds economic. 70% of the world is covered in water, 80% of

The first general issue of reductionism (Elliott, 2000). There may be a tendency to take a simple approach to causes of disasters (Richardson, 1994) reducing them to simplistic activity or blame; this diverts attention away from emergent properties, or previously unforeseen system interactions (Elliott, 2000) and inhibits a holistic approach which would otherwise consider the range of political, economic and