Summary
In his article, Quarantelli (1960) discusses the generally accepted (at least by official agencies such as emergency management structures, the police, the government, etc.) perceptions about the process of withdrawal of civilians from an area that is affected by a disaster and provides evidence that these perceptions are false. The author states that there exist three main basic misconceptions about how the process of withdrawal occurs; there are two main images, one that of panic, the other – of dependency; the third image, that of control, is superimposed on these two ones (Quarantelli, 1960). These perceptions are discussed in turn.
Thus, the first misconception is the image of panic (Quarantelli, 1960). It is often assumed (at least by official agencies) that when a disaster occurs, most people simply flee from the affected area in a panicked, hysterical, disorganized fashion (Quarantelli, 1960). Thus, individuals are assumed to lose the ability to think rationally, running away as far as possible, being driven by panic only (Quarantelli, 1960). Due to the fear of such behaviors, official agencies sometimes even failed to inform the population about the coming disaster (Quarantelli, 1960). However, Quarantelli (1960) cites evidence that people seldom flee from an area of disaster in a panicked manner; instead, they often tend to remain in the disaster area so as not to leave the location they are accustomed to, even in spite of being asked to leave by officials (e.g., their home), but find safer places within it.
The second misconception is that of dependency; according to it, some people might become completely helpless and devoid of any initiative to act due to panic, waiting in a childlike manner until someone such as the police take care of them (Quarantelli, 1960). However, the author states that this is also not true; a considerable amount of evidence suggests that people very rarely behave in such a passive manner; this may only occur with few people for short periods of time, and usually after the disaster (Quarantelli, 1960). In contrast, most people behave in a rather rational way, according to the information that is currently available to them, and cooperate with one another so as to cope with the disaster (Quarantelli, 1960).
Finally, the third misconception is that of “control”; according to it, people can be controlled to a great degree, and should always be coordinated and directed by e.g. state authorities (Quarantelli, 1960). Otherwise, it is believed that chaos is virtually inevitable; because of this, showing initiative and withdrawing in an “unplanned” manner is often viewed as disruptive behavior (Quarantelli, 1960). On the contrary, the author suggests that it is difficult to control people in disaster situations and that individuals will often act on their own, cooperating with others and attaining quite successful results (Quarantelli, 1960). Such perceptions led to certain institutional weaknesses; the author stresses that instead of honing such perceptions, the initiative of the victims of a disaster should be viewed as a way to lower the pressure on governmental agencies during disasters (Quarantelli, 1960).
Critical Remarks
The article provides a clear, well-evidenced criticism of some common misconceptions about how humans behave in danger or disaster (Quarantelli, 1960). Despite being nearly 57 years old, the article should still be useful due to the fact that the described (and refuted) images of a person fleeing from a disaster or waiting helplessly are still popular conceptions about what people do in disasters.
Discussion Questions
- Do you think that the perceptions about panic/dependency/control were influenced by the Cold War? Could some elements of culture, such as the famous “Duck and Cover” cartoon, be based on such misconceptions, and further propagate them?
- Do you think that the conception that people left without a leader will behave completely chaotically might also be untrue in other situations (e.g., in companies without managers)?
Reference
Quarantelli, E. L. (1960). Images of withdrawal behavior in disasters: Some basic misconceptions. Social Problems, 8(1), 68-79. Web.