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Survival: It’s a matter or being mentally prepared, researchers reveal


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A CRUISE ship worker survives 22 hours in the water. A soccer team of 12 boys and their coach cling to life trapped in a Thai cave for nine days. So what makes a survivor? Why do some live while others die?

There are many extraordinary stories of survival in extreme circumstances. But there are also terrible tales where victims died in unnecessary circumstances.

Exactly why has been the subject of considerable research in recent decades.

Studies show it all comes down to how people react.

In life-threatening situations, about 75 per cent of people suffer mental paralysis — they are so shocked and confused by events they are unable to think clearly. They cannot perceive what is going on around them. Therefore they fail to take advantage of opportunities to escape or survive.

Only about 10 per cent freak out — though they make dangerous situations all the more deadly.

Military survival instructor John Leach told the BBC only about 15 per cent of people remain calm and rational enough to make critical decisions.

Why does this happen?

Psychologists believe many of us cannot cope with sudden change.

One moment, our lives are ticking along as usual, following a pre-established script of expectations for a work day or holiday.

Then a new situation suddenly arises. One that we’re not prepared for. Something we haven’t already mapped out in our minds.

Leach argues the public fascination with survival stories often presents matters in the wrong perspective. Instead, we should be asking why so many people die when they need not.

“My role as a combat survival instructor is to teach people how to survive,” he told the BBC. “My role as a psychologist is to teach people not to die.”

Survivors are not the fittest.

Survivors are not brave.

Survivors are not lucky.

Mostly, they’re ready.

PACK MENTALITY
Stuck in the dark. The sound of rushing water is relentless. You’re wet. You’re cold. You’re hungry. You’re scared.

And so is everybody else.

These are the circumstances that faced a soccer coach and his 12 young players — aged between 11 and 16 — after a team-spirit building exercise went terribly wrong.

A sudden storm sent floodwaters surging through the cave they were hiking through. First, they had to climb for their lives. Soon, they realised they were trapped.

When finally found nine days later, they were still alive.

One of the rescue divers told them: “You are very strong, very strong.”

Their struggle isn’t over. But they’re well placed to survive.

“They’ll need fluids replacing (and) possibly feeding,” a rescue consultant told media. “They’re going to need reheating. They’ve possibly been lying still for days now. And sensory faculties won’t be what they should be. So I would think that they’re not really fit to move for maybe 12 hours or so really.”

Research suggests it was their team spirit that kept them alive for so long.

How others behave is never within our control.

But in a situation such as this, a group must work together.

Television and cinema lead us to expect a herd-like behaviour. Of blind scrambles and stampedes. Of rampant stupidity and selfishness.

But psychologists say all the available evidence is at odds with this depressing picture.

Research shows that in most cases, groups of people are likely to go out of their way to help each other. A 2008 study of 11 mass tragedies showed co-operation was the preferred option — an attitude of mutual support and unity in the face of danger.

Psychologists call this “collective resilience”.

And that’s a word that repeatedly appears in survival situations.

It’s those with little resilience that panic. They go into profound shock. It’s those who make up the 10 per cent that often make matters worse.

But those capable of pulling themselves together and responding with an open mind are in the best position to survive — and help others.

REACTION TIMES
When airliners slammed into the sides of New Yorks Twin Towers on 9/11, most people didn’t know how to react.

This was a significant factor in the terror-attack’s high death toll.

Despite surviving the initial impact and knowing fire was beginning to take hold, most of those in the buildings did not immediately head for the emergency exits.

Some carried on as usual. Others waited for instructions. Most finished what they were doing, tidied up, made phone calls — even went to the toilet — before heading out.

According to a study by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), most survivors prevaricated an average of six minutes before taking action to save their own lives.

Those who waited longer were much less likely to have escaped. But those that didn’t even wait for the evacuation alarms to go off were among the best placed to survive.

Researchers say that, often, the key to survival is merely reacting fast enough.

Panic is rarely a problem.

Instead, it’s hesitation … An unwillingness to take the initiative. An inability to assess the situation. The tendency to wait for an authority figure to issue instructions.

“In emergencies, quite often events are happening faster than you can process them,” explains Leach.

RESILIENCE
The 33-year-old crew member was seen toppling over the side of a cruise ship in warm waters near Cuba.

The ship stopped, turned around, and began to search. The United States Coast Guard was called in. A cutter and search plane were quickly dispatched.

The search was extensive. But spotting a bobbing head in an expanse of ocean is almost impossible.

Some 22 hours later, the man was found gently treading water by the crew of another cruise liner.

“This is nothing short of miraculous,” Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said in a statement.

Circumstances certainly favoured the crewman. The waters were warm. The sea was calm.

But enduring a day and night in the water is no mean feat.

It would have been so easy to panic. To thrash about. To set off swimming aimlessly.

But the 33-year-old displayed remarkable resilience.

He knew his primary goal was to stay afloat long enough to be found. So he expended as little energy as possible, floating on his back and paddling just enough to remain stable.

This is how he maintained the energy to survive 22 hours.

And he did not give up.

Chances are, he knew what to do.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Survival starts with a question.

And it must be asked before anything happens.

“All you have to do is ask yourself one simple question,” says Leach. “If something happens, what is my first response? Once you can answer that, everything else will fall into place. It’s that simple.”

In an emergency, we have a pre-programmed reaction. Adrenaline surges through our system — preparing our bodies to fight or to flee.

Psychologists say this comes at a price: our heightened state of arousal reduces our mental capacity to consider all the options. That may mean we miss obvious escape routes or survival behaviours.

But there is a solution.

Be prepared.

Survival experts agree the one thing that helps overcome this mental paralysis is training.

Training gives our minds a new path to follow, a set of expectations and possible courses of action.

“Practice makes actions automatic, without detailed thinking,” Indiana University social psychologist Jerome Chertkoff told the BBC.

Know where the emergency exits are.

Read the escape pamphlets on your aircraft and in your hotel.

Pay attention to safety briefings from guides.

Mostly, imagine yourself going through these procedures.

This implants a survival script in your mind.

“Every time I go on a boat the first thing I do is find out where my lifeboat station is, because then if there is a problem I just have to respond, I don’t have to start thinking about it,” says Leach.

ARE YOU A SURVIVOR?
Conventional wisdom says you won’t know how you’ll respond to a disaster until you’re in one.

Wrong.

Researchers say it’s the exact opposite.
You’ll know how to respond to a disaster if you mentally prepare for one to unfold.

This involves knowing what to do. What to expect.

It also involves knowing what you can do best.

One study of more than 1400 survivors sought to identify their essential personal characteristics.

It narrowed the set of personality traits, attitudes and habits down to the following group of eight predictive attributes.

You may possess one or more of these traits if you strongly agree with these statements. And that may mean you have a pivotal role to play in any survival situation.

Leadership: Gathering and organising people.

— I take the initiative in talking to other people.
— Sophisticated words that move other people come out of my mouth.
Problem-solving: Breaking a situation down to its components, and forming strategies.

— The more agitated the people around me become, the calmer I somehow become.
— When I am fretting about what I should do, I compare several alternative actions.
Altruism: Caring for and helping others to bond a group.

— I like it when other people rely on me and are grateful to me.
— When someone asks me to do something for them, I cannot refuse.
Stubbornness: Sticking to your guns. Not giving up easily.

— I say whatever it is I want to say without hesitation.
— I hate losing.
Etiquette: Conforming to social norms.

— In everyday life, I take care of myself as much as possible.
— When someone has helped me or been kind to me, I clearly convey my feelings of gratitude.

Emotional regulation: Staying calm and maintaining composure.

— When something happens, I try to stay calm and not panic.
— During difficult times, I endeavour not to brood.
Self-transcendence: Being aware of one’s place in the big picture.

— I am aware of the path and teachings I should follow as a person.
— I am aware of the role I should play in society.
Active wellbeing: Physical, mental and intellectual health.

— In everyday life, I endeavour to find opportunities to acquire new knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
— In everyday life, I have habitual practices that are essential for relieving stress or giving me a change of pace.

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