This article explores how the concept of shock has been used
in connection to processes of social change and transition,
and argues that a wider exploration of the concept in fields
other than political science and international relations can
provide us with important insights into the individual and collective
impacts of transitions. Although criticizing the idea of
shock as therapy, the article presents a number of alternative
uses of shock that can be particularly insightful for understanding
often contradictory behaviors that characterize periods
of transition, as well as a series of dangerous consequences
of attempts to deal with shock through various
techniques of distancing, distraction, and normalization
