This work is about the preliminary conclusions of a research carried out to enquire into the impact the 2001 crisis in Argentina had on certain sectors of the population. Based on the conception of stress, trauma and resilence, an enquiry was carried out into the events that were perceived as most disruptive and on the adjustment in behaviours, which are described as most frequent and efficient.

We will examine some of the effects of the violence unleashed by the country's crisis during the years 2001-2002 as described by some of those who experienced it and what they had to say as to what they did to lessen the impact. In other words, we will deal with the damage and what the victims did to mitigate the effects. We will not look into the causes of such violence; neither shall we deal with the professional methods to resolve and mitigate the effects.

Some of the socially stressful events are the sustained increase of unemployment and poverty, the confiscation of saving accounts, the downfall of the constitutional president, the succession of several presidents in 5 days, the way banks were vandalized by unhappy saving account owners, the pot banging as a sign of discontent , the demonstrations by “Piqueteros ” or road blockers, the public manifestation of the distrust towards the ruling class and justice, the devaluation of the Argentine currency and the ensuing hyperinflation, insecurity and the violence against people and their property, and the increasing disbelief in the police force.

We started off from the principle that individuals are always part of a context where they interact with one another in such a way as to become influenced and changed. Individuals interact on the level of the family, social nets and the institutions they belong to. Each of these levels are terelated to one another and a change in one of them brings about changes in other levels.

Our research will consider the concepts of stress, trauma and resilence and will apply them to the analysis and the understanding of the effects of the crisis on the middle class.

Our general objectives are:

a) to detect the way the population suffered the effects of the events which took place between 2001 and 2003.

b) to find out which of those events were regarded by the people interviewed as socially stressful.

c) which were the negative effects perceived on the individual and group levels.

d) which were the adjustment in behaviour put into effect to mitigate the damage.

The results seem to support previous researches (carried out in other contexts) about the personal characteristics and the most efficient interpersonal action to face long lasting misfortune