File(s) under permanent embargo
Psychological disaster myths in the perception and management of mass emergencies
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 16:20 authored by John DruryJohn Drury, David Novelli, Clifford StottDisaster myths are said to be widespread and consequential. However, there has been little research on whether those involved in public safety and emergency response believe them. A survey examined how far police officers, civilian safety professionals, sports event stewards and comparison samples from the public believe the myths ‘mass panic’, ‘civil disorder’, and ‘helplessness’. Respondents endorsed the first two myths. However they rejected the myth of helplessness and endorsed the view that emergency crowds display resilience. Despite these contradictions in stated beliefs, there was also evidence of ideological coherence: each model of mass emergency behavior (maladaptive versus resilient) was linked to a model of crowd management (coercive and paternalistic versus mass-democratic). The practical implications of these findings are discussed.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Journal of Applied Social PsychologyISSN
0021-9029Publisher
Wiley-BlackwellExternal DOI
Issue
11Volume
43Page range
2259-2270Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2013-11-18Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC