When the 33 men went down into the mine more than two months ago, they were ordinary men living in relative anonymity. What has happened since that day is anything but ordinary – and they are certainly no longer anonymous figures. Their personal lives have been broadcast around the world, and the fame could be overwhelming to these men who are being thrust into a world vying to know more about them, says Humberto Marin, a professor of psychology in the traumatic stress and disasters field at Catholic Pontifical University in Santiago. The Chilean Security Association gave the men a week of media training while they were underground to help them handle the media onslaught – there were more than 1,000 members of the media on hand at the rescue.
They’ve also been away from their families and society for more than two months and it might be hard to grasp the changes that happened while they were underground, particularly away from the support of the other miners. The men have become dependent on each other's support for the past two months and it could be jarring to no longer be together.
