Département d'Etudes Cognitives, Institut Jean Nicod, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, LAPSCO, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
PLoS One. 2021 Dec 7;16(12):e0260392. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260392. eCollection 2021.
Reactions to danger have been depicted as antisocial but research has shown that supportive behaviors (e.g., helping injured others, giving information or reassuring others) prevail in life-threatening circumstances. Why is it so? Previous accounts have put the emphasis on the role of psychosocial factors, such as the maintenance of social norms or the degree of identification between hostages. Other determinants, such as the possibility to escape and distance to danger may also greatly contribute to shaping people's reactions to deadly danger. To examine the role of those specific physical constraints, we interviewed 32 survivors of the attacks at 'Le Bataclan' (on the evening of 13-11-2015 in Paris, France). Consistent with previous findings, supportive behaviors were frequently reported. We also found that impossibility to egress, minimal protection from danger and interpersonal closeness with other crowd members were associated with higher report of supportive behaviors. As we delved into the motives behind reported supportive behaviors, we found that they were mostly described as manifesting cooperative (benefits for both interactants) or altruistic (benefits for other(s) at cost for oneself) tendencies, rather than individualistic (benefits for oneself at cost for other(s)) ones. Our results show that supportive behaviors occur during mass shootings, particularly if people cannot escape, are under minimal protection from the danger, and feel interpersonal closeness with others. Crucially, supportive behaviors underpin a diversity of motives. This last finding calls for a clear-cut distinction between the social strategies people use when exposed to deadly danger, and the psychological motivations underlying them.
对危险的反应一直被描述为反社会的，但研究表明，在危及生命的情况下，支持性的行为（例如，帮助受伤的他人，提供信息或安慰他人）占主导地位。为什么会这样呢？之前的研究强调了心理社会因素的作用，例如社会规范的维护或人质之间的认同程度。其他决定因素，如逃生的可能性和与危险的距离，也可能极大地影响人们对致命危险的反应。为了检验这些特定的身体限制因素的作用，我们采访了 32 名“巴塔克兰”袭击事件的幸存者（2015 年 11 月 13 日晚上，法国巴黎）。与之前的发现一致，支持性的行为经常被报告。我们还发现，无法逃离、最小限度地免受危险和与其他人群成员的人际亲近与更高的支持性行为报告有关。当我们深入研究报告的支持性行为背后的动机时，我们发现它们大多被描述为表现出合作（对互动双方都有利）或利他主义（对他人有利，对自己不利）的倾向，而不是个人主义（对自己有利，对他人不利）的倾向。我们的研究结果表明，支持性的行为发生在大规模枪击事件中，尤其是当人们无法逃离、受到最小限度的保护、并且与他人感到亲密时。至关重要的是，支持性行为是基于多种动机的。最后这一发现要求在人们在面对致命危险时所使用的社会策略和它们背后的心理动机之间进行明确的区分。
