Victims of crime react to their experiences as victims in certain predictable ways. First, the victim responds to the crime with feelings of shock, helplessness, disbelief, immobilization, and numbness. Then, the victim experiences a second reaction, characterized by overwhelming fear and hopelessness. Still another stage follows in which the victim feels anger, sadness, resignation, guilt, and self pity. Even when the victim has worked through his various levels of reaction to the crime committed against him he is vulnerable to lowered self-esteem and to perceptions of rejection and lack of support from his family and community. Guidelines for providing psychological first aid include understanding the crisis reaction of the victim and stabilizing the victim by attending to his emergency medical needs and making him feel as secure and comfortable as possible. Helpers should prepare the victim for his emotional responses, and they should aid the victim in reassuming power and automony. Family and community members should be enlisted to provide support. 6 references. ABI ja