On the morning of September 11, 2009, hundreds of people gathered in the
rain near the area now known as Ground Zero. They paused for a momentof silence at 8:46 a.m. EST, exactly eight years after the first hijacked airliner
crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York.
Family members of the victims placed flowers at the site. Some carried framed
photographs wrapped in plastic. As they have each year since the tragedy,
political leaders and volunteers read the names of the 2,752 people killed in
the New York attack. Similar ceremonies were held at the Pentagon inWashington and in Pennsylvania, where the other two hijacked planes
crashed during the attacks. In communities across the country and in many
other nations, people gathered to observe the anniversary and honor thevictims. It was a day to mourn, to remember, and to reflect.
The September 11 terrorist attacks united Americans like no event since the
bombing of Pearl Harbor. From the moment of the first news reports,Americans from all regions of the country —from all ethnic groups and religious
backgrounds —shared the horror and disbelief. They bought flags, donated
blood, sent donations, and shared their emotions. Businesses and schools closed,
sports and entertainment events were canceled. A nation grieved.
Powerful events have a way of bringing out similar reactions in people.
Someone might point to this tragedy to illustrate how much alike each of usreally is, how all people are basically the same. Yet if we look a little more
closely, even in this situation we can see that not everyone reacted in the
same way. In the days following the attack, many Americans were glued to
their television sets, eagerly following each new development. Others turned
their sets off, unable to watch the unsettling images any longer. Some citizens
were overcome with anger and vowed revenge. Others focused on the victims
and asked how they could help. Some people gathered at public events where
they shared feelings and consoled their neighbors. Others sought solitude and
quiet reflection. Many people turned to religion to find meaning and comfort,but some struggled to find the hand of God in so much suffering. Eight years
later, some people talked about how much had changed. Others marveled at
the nation ’s ability to return to normalcy. Some people found comfort in the
sense of community. For others, the day triggered painful memories and re-
newed fears.
In many ways, the reactions to the September 11 attacks are typical of
people who are suddenly thrown into a unique and tragic situation. At first,the demands of the situation overwhelm individual differences, but soon each
person ’s characteristic way of dealing with the situation and the emotional
aftermath begins to surface. The more we look, the more we see that people
are not all alike. The closer we look, the more we begin to see differences
between people. These characteristic differences are the focus of this book.They are part of what we call personality. Moreover, personality psycholo-
gists have already studied many of the topics and issues that surfaced in the
September 11 tragedy. Coping with stress, disclosing to others, emotions, reli-gion, anxiety, solitude, and many other relevant topics are covered in various
places in this book.2 CHAPTER 1 What Is Personality?