panic is contagious, but there are strategies »- Corriere.it

by time news

Why do such dramas occur?
“What happened in Monte Meron depends on a mode of functioning of the human being, which concerns all populations and has nothing to do with the cultural level or social status – he says. Valentina Di Mattei, clinical psychologist and associate professor at the San Raffaele University of Life and Health in Milan -. The result is that crowd behavior is more dangerous than the threat itself (real or assumed to be). In the case of Israel, then, there was a mix of specific risk factors: a huge crowd (tens of thousands of people), narrow streets, darkness. In the evening, our brains process information a little differently than in the day. And then the pandemic: in the previous days the opportunity not to carry out the meeting was evaluated and, despite the green light, people participated with a state of alert probably higher than the norm due to the risk of contagion and the possibility of to get sick”.


What could have clicked in the minds of the pilgrims?
“In a crowd, a stimulus, which is interpreted as threatening, may be enough to trigger a panic reaction. At the base is the survival instinct. We can identify two factors: the individual reaction and that of the mass. The first is a primitive response, in which the most instinctive and irrational parts take over. It has been calculated that the brain takes a hundred milliseconds to intercept danger, evaluate it and provide a response, which is almost always escape. It is an “automatic” process, a primitive instinctive mechanism linked to survival: delaying the reaction could expose you to a greater risk. Neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, who has studied these phenomena, summed up the question like this: “It is better to mistake a stick for a snake than a snake for a stick.” In the individual there is a parallel rational evaluation that lasts about 400 milliseconds ».

And the mass reaction?
“Within a crowd, panic is contagious, people think more impulsively and irrationally than they would if they were taken individually. Fear is strengthened in the mass and the stampede is unleashed: it is a behavior that even animals have. The members of the flock, if they feel danger, all run away in the same direction. It must be said that, for example in the sinking of the Costa Concordia (2012), altruistic behaviors were also observed among those present: it was observed that if a person had fallen to the ground some tried to help him, or at least avoid trampling him. Furthermore, there were attempts to reunite with family members, albeit risky: even the tendency to be close to or to rejoin the primary affects is a primordial instinct ».

How to avoid what happened at Mount Meron?
«The main point is the organization of the event: in the event that situations arise that trigger the instinct to escape, people must be able to find escape routes or free areas. It is also essential that the mass has a leader who is listened to by all. In case of abnormal movements, the boss can immediately intervene and give indications on how to proceed. Another important element: in a demonstration with thousands of people it is good to give clear instructions in case of emergency, as happens on an airplane before take-off. They must be simple rules: for example, always move in the direction of the crowd ».

The tragedy in Israel: over 45 dead at the Mount Meron religious gathering

How can such a great trauma be overcome? (There were also many children in the crowd)
“After tragedies of this magnitude, post-traumatic pictures occur, in which the person tends to read different events with the same eye at the time. The result is that he is afraid and carries out “avoidance behaviors”: the subject increasingly limits his or her freedom of movement and spaces. There is also the phenomenon of flashbacks: suddenly the memory returns to the dramatic event, for no apparent reason. To deal with such ailments, emergency psychology is used, which includes specific techniques. Immediately after the accident, survivors are asked to tell what they saw. After a few weeks, they are supported in trying to re-elaborate it. It must be said that not everyone reacts to trauma in the same way and with the same intensity. In the specific case of Israel, I would like to pay particular attention to children, who have fewer tools to defend themselves from a psychic point of view and to elaborate what happened ».

April 30, 2021 (change April 30, 2021 | 18:43)

© REPRODUCTION RESERVED

You may also like

Leave a Comment