PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE RESPONSE TO PHYSICAL ATTACKS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2956-333X/2025-3-12Keywords:
soft targets, psychological response to threat, crowd behavior and social identity, schools and evacuation, public markets and movement control, fight–flight–freeze, crisis management and communicationAbstract
The study systematically develops a theoretical-analytical framework comparing psychological responses during physical attacks on soft targets in closed school settings and open public market environments, foregrounding the interlinkage of biological mechanisms of the acute stress response typified by fight–flight–freeze, the social-psychological dynamics of crowds shaped by shared identity, and the organizational-spatial parameters that decisively influence risk perception, decision-making, and evacuation flow; a comparative perspective, grounded in scholarly literature, official guidelines of emergency services, and documented cases, indicates that schools benefit from prior familiarity with layouts, hierarchies, and drills yet face the hazards of individual “freezing” and uneven compliance with instructions, whereas markets display greater behavioral variability among heterogeneous participants, a strong dependence on visual cues, and a pronounced role of visible authority in damping panic; the analytical synthesis further affirms that effective planning and response must differentiate communication channels, the function of formal authorities, and navigational features according to setting, with schools prioritizing regular psychologically sensitive drills, rapid internal communication, and prevention of inaction, while open events hinge on trained staff, unambiguous escape-route signage, and swift, visible presence of organizers or first responders; the output offers practical recommendations for crisis-plan design that integrate technical, organizational, and psychological measures to strengthen community resilience and reduce the likelihood of fatal outcomes.
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