A Study of Coping Strategies in Emergencies with Group Panic in Large Public
Places
Han Wang1, Yue-ning Bai2, Chun-dong Zheng3, Xiao-liang Li3
1
Institute of Psychology；2School of Education；3College of Management and Economics,
Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
(wanghan@tju.edu.cn)
Abstract - It may cause group panic if a disaster
happened in a large public place, and coping strategies could
be influenced by group panic. This paper analyzes the
characteristics of large public places and the psychology of
people in a large public place, then indicates the causes of
group panic and summarizes four influences of group panic.
At last, this paper suggests four coping strategies using
psychology: informing, action, information, enhancing and
improving crowd’s quality, and brings forward the details in
emergency management. It concludes that through effective
psychological interventions and detail management, group
panic will be largely removed in emergencies in a large
public place.
Keywords - emergency evacuation, emergency
management, group panic, large public places
With the rapid development of global economy and
the increasing demand on living quality, the number of
large public places presents a remarkable growth. Large
public places usually means a place featured by crowded
people stream, enclosed and complicated building
structure, sophisticated business functions, such as
cinema, stadium, railway station, subway, business center,
super market, shopping arcade and so on. Due to the
features mentioned above, it is very likely to cause
casualties and property damage in case of emergency in a
large public place, such as fire, explosion, or the even
worse, terrorist attack. Therefore, the emergency
management in large public places becomes more and
more important (Cui et al., 2005) [1].
Group panic is commonly associated with
emergencies because of the large crowd in large public
places. The false information in many cases will worsen
public panic and thus make coping with emergency more
difficult. Moreover, the group panic may result in
secondary disasters. Therefore, emergency coping
strategies with group panic are also becoming more and
more important. In this paper, we apply social psychology,
emergency management and other knowledge to analyze
group panic in large public places and suggest some
coping strategies with good feasibility.
I. OVERVIEW OF EMERGENCY COPING
STRATEGIES AND GROUP PANIC
Although various efforts can be made to reduce the
chance of emergencies in large public places, an
emergency situation may still happen. Evacuating people
as soon as possible out of the place in emergency can
considerably decrease the number of casualties. Therefore,
emergency evacuation is one of the core coping strategies
in handling public place emergencies.
Intensive studies of emergency evacuation have been
conducted in many countries. They utilized advanced
computer technologies to propose numerous evacuation
models and developed various kinds of analysis and
simulation software. Helbing et al. (2000) proposed
Social Force Model [2]. This model considers different
evacuation occasions of panic behaviors and lays a good
foundation for subsequent models. Cui et al. (2005)
classified Social Force Model and other models into a
note-arc and grid-base model according to the difference
among architectural environments and proposed an
individual evacuation model in public places based on the
concept of grid-base concerning individual characteristics
and conformity behaviors [1]. And then Li et al. (2006)
introduced a facilitator into individual characteristics and
conformity behaviors and investigated the facilitator of
evacuation in detail [3]. Cui et al. (2008) investigated the
moving path of the facilitator and proposed the optimal
algorithm of dynamic facilitator moving path [4]. In the
same year, taking the advantages of the multi-intelligence
body in complex system modeling, Cui et al. defined a
evacuated person as “agent” and constructed a new
evacuation model which simulates the responses of
facilitator under the condition of guiding function, fire
spread and random obstacles, etc[5]. Zhang et al. (2009)
further discussed the characteristics and limitations of
these evacuation models and pointed out the trends of
future research [6]. Using Social Force Model, Li et al.
(2010) investigated the evacuation efficiency of auto
gates and escalators in case of a panic [7].
Some researchers carried out their studies from the
viewpoints of building and disaster itself and proposed
suggestions and coping strategies for emergency
evacuation. Huo et al. (1999) analyzed the spread of fire
and people’s reaction timeline and put forward the factors
influencing people’s evacuation [8]. Zhao (2009) examined
the factors influencing the evacuation from the
perspective of fire safety and brought forward eight
constructive safety precautions [9]. There is plenty of
research in emergency evacuation; however, the
investigation of public panic is not adequate.
Since the emergence of SARS, the panic in
emergency has attracted more attentions. Wang et al.
(2003) investigated the fear caused by SARS [10]. They
pointed out that the feeling of hollowness is natural and
has practical meanings. They also came up with detailed
psychological mechanisms and methods to control
excessive panic. Chen (2003) pointed out that timely and
proper disclosure of information will effectively decrease
the level of panic [11]. Wang (2003) analyzed the cause of
formation and eliminating methods of public panic in a
systemic approach [12]. From the viewpoint of sociology,
Qin et al. (2006) studied the adverse psychological
response of people in emergency with respect to the
dimensionalities of public right to know, social trust, and
public management [13]. Chen et al. (2009) constructed the
spreading model of panic through information
computation [14]. This laid a good foundation of studying
panic spreading for more scientific research works.
As summarized above, the coping strategies in
emergencies in public places are mainly from the
perspective of emergency evacuation. These research
works are very intensive and individual panic and group
conformity behaviors have already been taken into
consideration. However, there is no further study about
group panic, the consequence of which is much more
serious than that of group conformity behavior. Therefore,
this paper thoroughly extends the study of coping
strategies in emergency with group panic occurring in
large public places.
II. REASONS CAUSING GROUP PANIC IN LARGE
PUBLIC PLACES
Solomon (1998) pointed out that a serious
emergency is a kind of situation in which individuals are
not able to resist and lose control [15]. The individual in
such a situation may be at a loss and disabled. When most
individuals exhibit panic emotions, it can be confirmed
that the group panic have happened in the group. Strictly
speaking, group panic is the psychology of fear and
nervous emotions in the whole group and causes
irrational and non-cooperation behaviors dominated by
this psychology state when a given group is facing a
sudden or an unimaginable threat.
Group panic is a kind of public panic. It specifically
refers to the panic of a certain group. Public panic is
mainly influenced by mass communication, rumor,
pressure from the crowd and collective behavior [12].
Once group panic breaks out in a large public place,
it has four characters which are also the causes for the
formation and spread of panic. Firstly, the subject of the
group panic is the group of people in public place instead
of social public. The scope of the subject has a certain
restriction and the panic spreads more rapidly. Secondly,
the group panic being studied in this research is caused by
emergency and actual event. However, we cannot assure
the equal level of recognition to the event between the
group and the administrator of the public place. That is to
say, false information may be generated in the group by
information asymmetry. Thirdly, people in group panic
are personally experiencing the event instead of acquiring
it from the mass media. Thus the panic is more likely to
happen psychologically. Fourthly, the physical
environment of a large public place is usually finite and
even enclosed and the density is usually very high. The
crowded group makes people worry about failing to
escape and thus makes people panic.
When an emergency happens, the public usually has
adverse psychological changes, including fear, anxiety,
pressure, frustration, attack, guilt, conformity and
excessive prevention [13]. Although the emergency is real,
people may spread some exaggerated or false information
because of fear and anxiety and in turn increase the level
of group panic. People will also have conformity
psychology and behavior, leading to collective behavior.
Collective behavior originates from three aspects: high
degree of irritation and implication, emotional contagion
and emotional arousal [12]. Under the pressure of the group,
the individual will lose his discretion and is unable to
think of the consequence of his behavior. The people in a
high density will result in the most inclinable contagion
of panic emotion and accelerate its spread. Therefore,
once an emergency occurs, providing that the group panic
is not dredged properly, the cyclical reaction of panic will
be triggered and group panic will be worse.
As can be seen from above, the group panic in large
public places originates mainly from the influence of
emergency to the group psychology, which has random,
uncertain and incremental characters. Using the Sand Pile
Model, Zhang et al. (2009) described the characteristics
of panic spread [16]. Similarly, the model can also be used
to describe group panic. Different psychological changes
of each individual gradually impact the whole group’s
psychology and behaviors. When the influence reaches a
critical point, the whole group’s psychology and
behaviors will become unstable. Just like the last sand
which leads to the collapse of a sand pile, the last subtle
change in psychology and behavior will trigger group
panic. Moreover, the characteristics of large public places
accelerate the falling speed of sands, which increases the
probability of group panic.
III. EFFECT OF GROUP PANIC ON EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT IN LARGE PUBLIC PLACES
It can be concluded from the cause analysis of group
panic that once group panic occurs, the group has the
following characteristics: people lose their discretion and
are all at sea. They are easy to be misled by false views
and conform to the idea of the group. Some people will
even have psychoreactions such as attack or excessive
prevention and produce violent behaviors. However, such
reactions are not common to group panic.
It can be learned that different levels of group panic
may have different influence on the choice of
emergencies coping strategies in large public places,
especially on emergency evacuation. The authors
illustrate the simple grading of group panic levels here. It
is the lightest group panic if the group produces certain
psychological panic but they can still clearly recognize
the location of and direction to emergency exits. However,
sometimes they may neglect the instructions of the guide.
The second level of group panic is that some people are at
a loss and cannot recognize emergency exits. Therefore
the group will rush in every direction randomly and have
some uncontrolled or aggressive movements. Some
people may jump out from windows immediately and
then many other people will follow and jump because of
group conformity such as what happened in the event of
September 11. The third level of group panic only
happens in large-scale disasters such as various kinds of
violence crimes after Haiti earthquake. Generally the
group panic on such level will not occur in large public
places and are out of the scope of this paper.
First of all, group panic impacts the efficiency of
emergency evacuation. The purpose of emergency
evacuation is to make the group leave the scene as
quickly as possible while the group panic will have the
most direct influence on this purpose. When the group
panic is on the first level, everyone wants to be the first
one who runs away from that large public place. And this
is the topic that the majority of emergency evacuation
models have studied, namely group conformity seriously
affecting the evacuation efficiency. There are many
corresponding computational methods to study this issue.
However, when the level has increased to the second or
the third level, people begin to lose their way and cannot
recognize emergency exits, which will make the
emergency evacuation more complicated. And such
evacuation problems cannot be solved by a fixed model.
Secondly, group panic increases the uncertainty of
emergency handling. Once group panic occurs, different
people have different psychological endurance and will
carry out different behaviors. The uncertainty caused by
group panic of the first level is limited and it can only
impact the evacuation efficiency. As the level of group
panic increases, human evacuation behaviors will be
different and evacuation efficiency will be under some
uncertainty, which have impact on emergency evacuation
for the most part and go against the method making and
evacuation implementation. As the level of group panic
increases, the uncertainty of emergency evacuation
enhances, which further restricts the specific applications
of various emergency evacuation models.
Thirdly, group panic may trigger secondary disasters.
It will trigger serious stampede once there is a
phenomenon such as tumble when the group lose their
head. The increase of the uncertainty in group panic will
trigger other more serious secondary disasters.
Lastly, group panic seriously impacts the
implementation of emergency response plan. It can be
known from the analysis above, group panic increases the
uncertainty of emergency evacuation handling and
emergency response plan itself may be unable to be
adapted in an emergency occurring in reality. During the
plan revision and exercises, there is no way to enumerate
all issues triggered by group panic through eigenmode.
Therefore, there are many difficulties in the
implementation of emergency response plan. The failure
to reach related workers in a timely manner may make
mistakes in emergency evacuation because of the group
panic in concrete procedures.
IV. THE COPING STRATEGIES AND METHODS OF
GROUP PANIC IN LARGE PUBLIC PLACES
Through a study of domestic and oversea literature
we found that emergency coping strategies mainly focus
on the efficiency increases of emergency evacuation. It
largely guides the design of public buildings and other
infrastructure facilities and simulates different forms of
built environments and disasters by computing emergency
evacuation models. But this is only the precaution or
proactive preparation. Emergencies themselves are
various and it is impossible to cope with an emergency
just relying on architectural design. What is also needed is
the system and mechanism of emergency management.
The development of emergency managing systems and
flexible programs is a major approach to solve the
problem. In this paper, the authors provide some solutions
from the perspective of emergency management.
Once an emergency happens, it is the first place to
eliminate group panic. The authors consider that we can
eliminate group panic from the following four aspects:
informing, action, information encouragement and the
enhancement of masses' quality.
To begin with, informing refers to minimizing the
degree of group panic through voice guidance when it
occurs. Once an emergency occurs, the broadcasting
system must start immediately and provide the group with
latest information. The onsite guidance and useful
evacuation directions should be provided and to increase
people’s confidence.
Secondly, action refers to immediately mobilizing
people and facilities of departments concerned to be
involved in handling the emergency and give people
confidence after an emergency occurs. The emergency
response system should be perfected from the perspective
of emergency management. It mainly consists of three
aspects: improving the emergency plan, strengthening the
relevant emergency management and enhancing the
personnel management.
Thirdly, information encouragement refers to
providing the group with sufficient emergency
management information before the emergency happens
and making the group confident enough in large public
places. This includes two parts. The first is increasing the
publicity of emergency management information so that
the group can acquire related information. The second is
perfecting the sign system in large public places. An
excellent sign system can guide people to evacuate
through right direction.
Fourthly, increasing the quality of group refers to
increasing the ability of group in coping with emergency
as much as possible. Social psychology research shows
that a good grasp of coping strategies to emergency is
favorable in diminishing panic emotions. Through the
daily popularized cognition of group to emergencies and
increasing their self-help capabilities, the group becomes
competent in coping with emergencies.
V. CONCLUSIONS
This research investigates the reasons and influence
of group panic in large public places in detail and
indicates that the emergency in large public places can
easily cause group panic, which has complicated effects
on emergency coping strategies. The group panic caused
by an emergency in a large public place should firstly be
prevented, decreased and diminished by psychological
methods, followed by handling the event and people’s
evacuation. This paper provides four suggestions and puts
forward detailed measures from the perspective of
emergency management.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The research is supported by the Science and
Technology Development Strategy Research Program of
Tianjin (Grant No. 10ZLZLZF03500).
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