Panic

Panic is a state of intense fear of a real or perceived threat. She is a strong stress response of the organism to an often unexpected and terrifying situation and is associated with a variety of vegetative and physical symptoms. This can lead to a restriction of the higher human capacities under certain circumstances.

The word panic is derived from the Greek god of shepherds, Pan, from which the legend was that he could into the largest midday silence aufjagen by a loud cry at once whole herds to sudden and apparently senseless mass exodus ( " panic terror " - see also: Stampede ).

Individual panic

In threatening situations, a man according to his personality characteristics, the particular social context and the perceived level of danger react very differently. The performance of the brain is in the medium activation is greatest, and there is an appropriate and purposeful action. With increasing stress level of people 's behavior range restricted, and the anxiety can become the action-guiding motive increasingly. The reactions of the people can be non- rational and non- socially with increasing anxiety, or it may occur, for example a paralyzing numbness or a headlong flight behavior. This unreasonable and inappropriate behavior is known as panic behavior. Empirical studies (Autumn 1996) have shown, however, that even with danger to life, only a small proportion of people affected in this sense panics.

Many panic researchers agree that the term panic, especially in the media is often unwarranted and rather used for reasons of a dramatized representation. In reality, it was stated that the so-called panic behavior is often an understandable reaction to an extreme stress situation, which only appears an impartial outside observer and illogical and unexpected.

The psychology understands panic among other things, as a psychic and physical means of expression of the individual, to make other people on their own life-threatening situation carefully in order to enable their help. Panksepp ( 1999) distinguishes the basis of results from animal research between a panic system and a fear system. Additional results from the bonding and infant research suggest that in humans similar to the animals in a dangerous situation, such systems are activated. If the fear system is activated, which is associated with the sympathetic nervous system causes a media on the danger focused combat or while the panic system is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system escape behavior and distress vocalisations ( crying or screaming ) or freeze response ( muscular solidification due to severe autonomic arousal ) results. Another reaction that goes beyond the freeze reaction of the panic system and apparently occurs only in humans, is the dissociation (interruption of the integrative functions of consciousness or memory ). The panic system is mainly activated when escape seem impossible and hopeless struggle.

Collective panic

In closely related groups of people can observe their mutual reactions to respond to this, and thereby communicate with each other. This led in accordance with the approach of the mass psychology of Le Bon to believe that it came to form a group mind due to this interaction. The individual is subject to acceptance by the mass psychology of Le Bon of the mass, resulting in a loss of the sense of responsibility and an increase of norm- violating and irrational behaviors. This suggests that in an emergency situation, the mass could be infected with the fear of individual people panicked and frightened people strengthen their panic in addition to each other. Further, the mass due to the mass psychological effects concerning the vanishing pulse is interconnected. However due to a panic contagion pushes a whole mass of people suddenly and collectively to the outputs. This is called a stampede.

Mass panics are particularly dangerous when, for example, in a fire in a confined space at the same time many people lose their self-control. In overpowering flight reflex weaker then often blindly knocked down and trampled. Doors are blocked by knot of people, because the urge also prevents effective succession. In such blockage endangered outputs known as baffles are used. The concept of mass panic as a major problem in disasters, however, is scientifically controversial.

Panic attack

A panic attack is defined as a sudden attack with an extreme anxiety, which takes place from complete wellbeing without specific occasion. The person develops a subjectively experienced dramatic physical symptoms ( eg, palpitations, dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath, etc.) The symptoms can vary from person concerned to the person concerned. In general, the symptoms increase in the first few minutes of very fast and improve after about 10 to 30 minutes. Only in rare cases keep the symptoms longer.

Panic Disorder

If there were repeated panic attacks without the presence of an objective danger and this leads to a change in thinking or behavior of the person concerned, then one speaks of a panic disorder.

Panic in recreational diving

When diving panic can be triggered when the at night or in cloudy water unusually low visibility falls below the individual flight distance, or problems with the supply of breathing air. The strongest triggered by the panic under water pulse is the urge toward appearance. The uncontrolled and rapid emergence but must be prevented, otherwise potentially dangerous accidents threaten, such as a decompression sickness under all circumstances. A conscientious training and frequent training of emergency response a rise of panic in general averted, but also a buddy play a very important role: trust in the abilities of the buddy enhances the self-confidence, and in an emergency the prudent and fast action of the partner can life rescue.

Panic at the sport flying

Little experience powered aircraft sometimes get panic if an unusual situation occurs when flying. This can be triggered by shaking the aircraft when passing through a weather front, but also by a sudden change or even a technical failure of Intrum ducks ads. Most frequently panic occurred in flight but with a loss of orientation, such as a visual impairment. In some training aircraft is found to adjust the student pilot to this situation in the cockpit of a ( non-functioning ) Mocking Panic button (panic button) attached. Warwitz describes and comments the nightmare flight of a kite-flying pupil who staggers from panic to panic by then fear the stall when a gust of wind, the suction force of a cloud, and finally not finding the landing site.

Dealing with panic

In a panic situation, the player loses all self-control and thus the control of a situation, which can be highly threatening in an acute real danger. Avoiding such a situation can only be achieved through a psychological stabilization on the basis of a stable self-confidence. This must be based on an awareness of one's own ability and the repeatedly proven successful risk management in simulated situations. When flies and other wagnis containing actions possible crisis situations must be played out again and again under the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher. The method of gradual approximation to avoid hazardous events and the gathering of such emergency experience is part of the normal training in risk sports. It must also be avoided, already vorgestresst to go into a stress -containing hazardous situation. It belongs to the self-knowledge and self-discipline of responsible individuals capable to accept the life that is proven to exceed their own performance in order to avoid panic failures. The handling of hazardous situations is not in principle be learned and learning subject.