Why Do People Act In Times Of Crisis

People act in different ways in times of crisis. Some people act and think more rationally than others, but most people share the common goal of getting to safety. The main contributors in why and how people respond to crisis are people’s levels of decision-making skills, distribution of information, and additional factors. Some people are calmer and more rational in emergency situations. As Kluger states, “People have different levels of decision-making skills, with some behaving more rationally than others.” (Kluger, 131). The less rational people may respond to the chaos of an emergency in an equally chaotic way, while the more rational people act in a calmer more collected way. Another thing that less rational people may do is just follow the group and go where everyone else is going instead of just stopping to think about the safest and most efficient way to escape the emergency situation.

Another thing that could affect why and how people react to a crisis is that “Some information tends to get distributed unevenly, with some people learning about an emergency exit first and acting before the others.” (Kluger, 131). This uneven distribution of information can cause people to respond at different times and in different ways. For example, if someone did not know about an exit yet, they may spend time looking for one and therefore escape later then if the information about the exit