John Drury | University of Sussex (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by John Drury
Recent research suggests that sound appraisal can be moderated by social identity. We validate th... more Recent research suggests that sound appraisal can be moderated by social identity. We validate this finding, and also extend it, by examining the extent to which sound can also be understood as instrumental in intergroup relations. We interviewed nine members of a Catholic enclave in predominantly Protestant East Belfast about their experiences of an outgroup (Orange Order) parade, where intrusive sound was a feature. Participants reported experiencing the sounds as a manifestation of the Orange Order identity and said that it made them feel threatened and anxious because they felt it was targeted at them by the outgroup (e.g., through aggressive volume increases). There was also evidence that the sounds produced community disempowerment, which interviewees explicitly linked to the invasiveness of the music. Some interviewees described organizing to collectively 'drown out' the bands' sounds, an activity which appeared to be uplifting. These findings develop the elaborated social identity model of empowerment, by showing that intergroup struggle and collective self-objectification can operate through sound as well as through physical actions. In his recent social history of sound, Hendy (2013) argues that noise is sound that 'someone somewhere doesn't want to be heard' (p. ix). Hendy's point refers to the relatively powerless, who are often forced to express themselves in hushed tones. In this study, we suggest that the point equally applies to the relatively powerful. That is, sound can be a way of enacting the identities of dominant groups and thereby reproducing the subordination of their opponents. We examine this thesis through an interview study of the experiences of residents of a small Catholic enclave in Northern Ireland that is annually the site of a number of passing parades by the Protestant 'Orange Order'. Below, we show first that sound is susceptible to an intergroup analysis and second that concepts from the social identity approach can usefully be employed in that analysis. Sound in psychology Psychological research on sound has tended to focus on investigating aversive reactions to urban noise and the resulting health effects, such as reduced sleep and increases in physiological stress responses (Stansfeld & Matheson, 2003). This research has found that a sound's objective characteristics are not the sole factors in determining reactions. Attitude variables, such as fear of the source and the expectations of the community, can
Survivors of disasters commonly provide each other with social support, but the social-psychologi... more Survivors of disasters commonly provide each other with social support, but the social-psychological processes behind such solidarity behaviours have not been fully explicated. We describe a survey of 1240 adults affected by the 2010 Chile earthquake to examine the importance of two factors: observing others providing social support and social identification with other survivors. As expected, emotional social support was associated with social identification, which in turn was predicted by disaster exposure through common fate. Observing others’ supportive behaviour predicted both providing emotional social support and providing coordinated instrumental social support. Expected support was a key mediator of these relationships and also predicted collective efficacy. There was also an interaction: social identification moderated the relationship between observing and providing social support. These findings serve to develop the social identity account of mass emergency behaviour and add value to disaster research by showing the relevance of concepts from collective action.
Scientific American Mind, 2010
Not everyone was an angel on 9/11. But accounts of the Twin Towers evacuation show that there was... more Not everyone was an angel on 9/11. But accounts of the Twin Towers evacuation show that there was none of the “mass panic” that many emergency planners expect to see in a disaster. In fact, when researchers look closely at almost any major disaster, they find little to support the assumption that ordinary people lose their heads in these extraordinary situations. Instead they find that individuals not only behave sensibly in emergencies but also display a solidarity that can be a valuable asset. These results have important ...
Culture and Social Change: Transforming Society Through the Power of Ideas, Sep 30, 2012
Crowd events are sites of both social determination and social-psychologi-cal change. On the one ... more Crowd events are sites of both social determination and social-psychologi-cal change. On the one hand, the form of crowd behavior is a function of the culturally and historically given norms and values of crowd participants. On the other hand, crowd events can be psychologically and socially transformative: they can change the very culture from which they took their meaning. In this chapter we argue that most models of crowd behavior deny and hence are incapable of explaining either social determination or change. We describe ...
A Multidisciplinary Perspective, 2010
In this chapter, we address the relationship between collective action and politicized identities... more In this chapter, we address the relationship between collective action and politicized identities. This question of the impacts of collective action on identities can be broken down into two component parts. First, how does collective participation affect the strength and depth of identification? Second, how does participation affect the content and meaning of identification? These are both questions of fundamental importance, not only for social psychology but also for the social sciences in general–although in different disciplines ...
PLoS ONE, 2013
Exposure to crowding is said to be aversive, yet people also seek out and enjoy crowded situation... more Exposure to crowding is said to be aversive, yet people also seek out and enjoy crowded situations. We surveyed participants at two crowd events to test the prediction of self-categorization theory that variable emotional responses to crowding are a function of social identification with the crowd. In data collected from participants who attended a crowded outdoor music event (n = 48), identification with the crowd predicted feeling less crowded; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through feeling less crowded. Identification with the crowd also moderated the relation between feeling less crowded and positive emotion. In data collected at a demonstration march (n = 112), identification with the crowd predicted central (most dense) location in the crowd; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through central location in the crowd. Positive emotion in the crowd also increased over the duration of the crowd event. These findings are in line with the predictions of self-categorization theory. They are inconsistent with approaches that suggest that crowding is inherently aversive; and they cannot easily be explained through the concept of 'personal space'.
Leadership and social movements, 2001
The emptiness of rhetoric Anyone interested in how to sway the masses has to contend with a choru... more The emptiness of rhetoric Anyone interested in how to sway the masses has to contend with a chorus so loud and so united that it threatens to drown out any discordant note. That unity is all the more impressive for being built out of highly diverse voices who, nonetheless, manage to sing from the same song-sheet. Within the academic world, perhaps the most famous of these voices is Gustave Le Bon. Certainly Le Bon is the most influential crowd psychologist. But, as
European Journal of Social Psychology, 2015
Survivors of disasters commonly provide each other with social support, but the social-psychologi... more Survivors of disasters commonly provide each other with social support, but the social-psychological processes behind such solidarity behaviours have not been fully explicated. We describe a survey of 1240 adults affected by the 2010 Chile earthquake to examine the importance of two factors: observing others providing social support and social identification with other survivors. As expected, emotional social support was associated with social identification, which in turn was predicted by disaster exposure through common fate. Observing others' supportive behaviour predicted both providing emotional social support and providing coordinated instrumental social support. Expected support was a key mediator of these relationships and also predicted collective efficacy. There was also an interaction: social identification moderated the relationship between observing and providing social support. These findings serve to develop the social identity account of mass emergency behaviour and add value to disaster research by showing the relevance of concepts from collective action.
Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, Jul 6, 2015
We surveyed young children (N = 517) affected by two major earthquakes to shed light on the role ... more We surveyed young children (N = 517) affected by two major earthquakes to shed light on the role of identity processes in relation to the common observation that disasters can bring survivors closer together and enhance helping amongst them. As expected, posttraumatic stress symptoms caused by the earthquake were positively associated with intentions to have contact with and help other survivors of the earthquake, these effects being sequentially mediated by inclusion of the other in the self and by one-group representation. These findings extend previous research on both the antecedents and the behavioural effects of identity-fusion. The results are also the first quantitative test of a social identity account of collective resilience in children. We argue that these findings have practical as well as theoretical significance, as they demonstrate the adaptive function of group processes in informal responses to disasters.
European Journal of Social Psychology , May 21, 2015
There is considerable evidence that psychological membership of crowds can protect people in dang... more There is considerable evidence that psychological membership of crowds can protect people in dangerous events, although the underlying social–psychological processes have not been fully investigated. There is also
evidence that those responsible for managing crowd safety view crowds as a source of psychological danger, views that may themselves impact upon crowd safety; yet, there has been little examination of how such ‘disaster myths’ operate in practice. In a study of an outdoormusic event characterized as a near disaster, analysis of questionnaire survey data (N=48) showed that social identification with the crowd predicted feeling safe directly aswell as indirectly
through expectations of help and trust in others in the crowd to deal with an emergency. In a second study of the same event, qualitative analysis of interviews (N=20) and of contemporaneous archive materials showed
that, in contrast to previous findings, crowd safety professionals’ references to ‘mass panic’ were highly nuanced. Despite an emphasis by some safety
professionals on crowd ‘disorder’, crowd participants and some of the professionals also claimed that self-organization in the crowd prevented disaster.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014
Crowd safety is a major concern for those attending and managing mass gatherings such as the annu... more Crowd safety is a major concern for those attending and managing mass gatherings such as the annual Hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah. One threat to crowd safety at such events is crowd density. However, recent research also suggests that psychological membership of crowds can have positive benefits. We tested the hypothesis that the effect of density on safety might vary depending on whether there is shared social identification in the crowd. We surveyed 1194 pilgrims at the Holy Mosque, Makkah, during the 2012 Hajj. Analysis of the data showed that the negative effect of crowd density on reported safety was moderated by social identification with the crowd. Whereas low identifiers reported reduced safety with greater crowd density, high identifiers reported increased safety with greater crowd density. Mediation analysis suggested that a reason for these moderation effects was the perception that other crowd members were supportive. Differences in reported safety across national groups (Arab countries and Iran compared to the rest) were also explicable in terms of crowd identification and perceived support. These findings support a social identity account of crowd behaviour and offer a novel perspective on crowd safety management.
Disaster Prevention and Management, 2013
Purpose – Reports from small-scale incidents in which decontamination was conducted suggest that ... more Purpose – Reports from small-scale incidents in which decontamination was conducted suggest that a successful communication strategy is vital in order to increase public compliance with, and reduce public anxiety about, decontamination. However, it has not been possible to examine public behaviour during large scale incidents involving decontamination. The aim of the research reported here was to
examine the relationship between people’s positive perceptions of responding agencies’ communication strategies and relevant outcome variables, such as level of compliance and level of
reassurance, in several field exercises involving mass decontamination.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using feedback questionnaires completed by simulated casualties, which contained items relating to casualties’ perceptions of the success of responding agencies’ communication strategies, their confidence in emergency responders, and their compliance with the decontamination process. Path analysis was used to examine the relationships between variables.
Findings – Results show a significant relationship between responding agencies’ communication strategies, level of public reassurance, and level of public compliance. The relationship between responders’ communication strategies and the outcome variables was partially mediated by public confidence in responders.
Practical implications – Emergency responders should focus on communication with members of the public as a key element of the decontamination process, as failure to do so could result in high levels of anxiety and low levels of compliance among those who are affected.
Originality/value – This research highlights the importance of effective responder communication strategies. Further, findings indicate the value of examining feedback from field exercises in order to facilitate a greater understanding of public experiences of the decontamination process.
PLOS ONE, Mar 4, 2014
The risk of incidents involving mass decontamination in response to a chemical, biological, radio... more The risk of incidents involving mass decontamination in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear release has increased in recent years, due to technological advances, and the willingness of terrorists to use unconventional weapons. Planning for such incidents has focused on the technical issues involved, rather than on psychosocial concerns. This paper presents a novel experimental study, examining the effect of three different responder communication strategies on public experiences and behaviour during a mass decontamination field experiment. Specifically, the research examined the impact of social identity processes on the relationship between effective responder communication, and relevant outcome variables (e.g. public compliance, public anxiety, and co-operative public behaviour). All participants (n = 111) were asked to visualise that they had been involved in an incident involving mass decontamination, before undergoing the decontamination process, and receiving one of three different communication strategies: 1) ‘Theory-based communication’: Health-focused explanations about decontamination, and sufficient practical information; 2) ‘Standard practice communication’: No health-focused explanations about decontamination, sufficient practical information; 3) ‘Brief communication’: No health-focused explanations about decontamination, insufficient practical information. Four types of data were collected: timings of the decontamination process; observational data; and quantitative and qualitative self-report data. The communication strategy which resulted in the most efficient progression of participants through the decontamination process, as well as the fewest observations of non-compliance and confusion, was that which included both health-focused explanations about decontamination and sufficient practical information. Further, this strategy resulted in increased perceptions of responder legitimacy and increased identification with responders, which in turn resulted in higher levels of expected compliance during a real incident, and increased willingness to help other members of the public. This study shows that an understanding of the social identity approach facilitates the development of effective responder communication strategies for incidents involving mass decontamination.
PLoS ONE, 2013
Exposure to crowding is said to be aversive, yet people also seek out and enjoy crowded situation... more Exposure to crowding is said to be aversive, yet people also seek out and enjoy crowded situations. We surveyed participants at two crowd events to test the prediction of self-categorization theory that variable emotional responses to crowding are a function of social identification with the crowd. In data collected from participants who attended a crowded outdoor music event (n = 48), identification with the crowd predicted feeling less crowded; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through feeling less crowded. Identification with the crowd also moderated the relation between feeling less crowded and positive emotion. In data collected at a demonstration march (n = 112), identification with the crowd predicted central (most dense) location in the crowd; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through central location in the crowd. Positive emotion in the crowd also increased over the duration of the crowd event. These findings are in line with the predictions of self-categorization theory. They are inconsistent with approaches that suggest that crowding is inherently aversive; and they cannot easily be explained through the concept of ‘personal space’.
Contention: The Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Protest, 1, 31-51.
Recent research suggests that sound appraisal can be moderated by social identity. We validate th... more Recent research suggests that sound appraisal can be moderated by social identity. We validate this finding, and also extend it, by examining the extent to which sound can also be understood as instrumental in intergroup relations. We interviewed nine members of a Catholic enclave in predominantly Protestant East Belfast about their experiences of an outgroup (Orange Order) parade, where intrusive sound was a feature. Participants reported experiencing the sounds as a manifestation of the Orange Order identity and said that it made them feel threatened and anxious because they felt it was targeted at them by the outgroup (e.g., through aggressive volume increases). There was also evidence that the sounds produced community disempowerment, which interviewees explicitly linked to the invasiveness of the music. Some interviewees described organizing to collectively 'drown out' the bands' sounds, an activity which appeared to be uplifting. These findings develop the elaborated social identity model of empowerment, by showing that intergroup struggle and collective self-objectification can operate through sound as well as through physical actions. In his recent social history of sound, Hendy (2013) argues that noise is sound that 'someone somewhere doesn't want to be heard' (p. ix). Hendy's point refers to the relatively powerless, who are often forced to express themselves in hushed tones. In this study, we suggest that the point equally applies to the relatively powerful. That is, sound can be a way of enacting the identities of dominant groups and thereby reproducing the subordination of their opponents. We examine this thesis through an interview study of the experiences of residents of a small Catholic enclave in Northern Ireland that is annually the site of a number of passing parades by the Protestant 'Orange Order'. Below, we show first that sound is susceptible to an intergroup analysis and second that concepts from the social identity approach can usefully be employed in that analysis. Sound in psychology Psychological research on sound has tended to focus on investigating aversive reactions to urban noise and the resulting health effects, such as reduced sleep and increases in physiological stress responses (Stansfeld & Matheson, 2003). This research has found that a sound's objective characteristics are not the sole factors in determining reactions. Attitude variables, such as fear of the source and the expectations of the community, can
Survivors of disasters commonly provide each other with social support, but the social-psychologi... more Survivors of disasters commonly provide each other with social support, but the social-psychological processes behind such solidarity behaviours have not been fully explicated. We describe a survey of 1240 adults affected by the 2010 Chile earthquake to examine the importance of two factors: observing others providing social support and social identification with other survivors. As expected, emotional social support was associated with social identification, which in turn was predicted by disaster exposure through common fate. Observing others’ supportive behaviour predicted both providing emotional social support and providing coordinated instrumental social support. Expected support was a key mediator of these relationships and also predicted collective efficacy. There was also an interaction: social identification moderated the relationship between observing and providing social support. These findings serve to develop the social identity account of mass emergency behaviour and add value to disaster research by showing the relevance of concepts from collective action.
Scientific American Mind, 2010
Not everyone was an angel on 9/11. But accounts of the Twin Towers evacuation show that there was... more Not everyone was an angel on 9/11. But accounts of the Twin Towers evacuation show that there was none of the “mass panic” that many emergency planners expect to see in a disaster. In fact, when researchers look closely at almost any major disaster, they find little to support the assumption that ordinary people lose their heads in these extraordinary situations. Instead they find that individuals not only behave sensibly in emergencies but also display a solidarity that can be a valuable asset. These results have important ...
Culture and Social Change: Transforming Society Through the Power of Ideas, Sep 30, 2012
Crowd events are sites of both social determination and social-psychologi-cal change. On the one ... more Crowd events are sites of both social determination and social-psychologi-cal change. On the one hand, the form of crowd behavior is a function of the culturally and historically given norms and values of crowd participants. On the other hand, crowd events can be psychologically and socially transformative: they can change the very culture from which they took their meaning. In this chapter we argue that most models of crowd behavior deny and hence are incapable of explaining either social determination or change. We describe ...
A Multidisciplinary Perspective, 2010
In this chapter, we address the relationship between collective action and politicized identities... more In this chapter, we address the relationship between collective action and politicized identities. This question of the impacts of collective action on identities can be broken down into two component parts. First, how does collective participation affect the strength and depth of identification? Second, how does participation affect the content and meaning of identification? These are both questions of fundamental importance, not only for social psychology but also for the social sciences in general–although in different disciplines ...
PLoS ONE, 2013
Exposure to crowding is said to be aversive, yet people also seek out and enjoy crowded situation... more Exposure to crowding is said to be aversive, yet people also seek out and enjoy crowded situations. We surveyed participants at two crowd events to test the prediction of self-categorization theory that variable emotional responses to crowding are a function of social identification with the crowd. In data collected from participants who attended a crowded outdoor music event (n = 48), identification with the crowd predicted feeling less crowded; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through feeling less crowded. Identification with the crowd also moderated the relation between feeling less crowded and positive emotion. In data collected at a demonstration march (n = 112), identification with the crowd predicted central (most dense) location in the crowd; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through central location in the crowd. Positive emotion in the crowd also increased over the duration of the crowd event. These findings are in line with the predictions of self-categorization theory. They are inconsistent with approaches that suggest that crowding is inherently aversive; and they cannot easily be explained through the concept of 'personal space'.
Leadership and social movements, 2001
The emptiness of rhetoric Anyone interested in how to sway the masses has to contend with a choru... more The emptiness of rhetoric Anyone interested in how to sway the masses has to contend with a chorus so loud and so united that it threatens to drown out any discordant note. That unity is all the more impressive for being built out of highly diverse voices who, nonetheless, manage to sing from the same song-sheet. Within the academic world, perhaps the most famous of these voices is Gustave Le Bon. Certainly Le Bon is the most influential crowd psychologist. But, as
European Journal of Social Psychology, 2015
Survivors of disasters commonly provide each other with social support, but the social-psychologi... more Survivors of disasters commonly provide each other with social support, but the social-psychological processes behind such solidarity behaviours have not been fully explicated. We describe a survey of 1240 adults affected by the 2010 Chile earthquake to examine the importance of two factors: observing others providing social support and social identification with other survivors. As expected, emotional social support was associated with social identification, which in turn was predicted by disaster exposure through common fate. Observing others' supportive behaviour predicted both providing emotional social support and providing coordinated instrumental social support. Expected support was a key mediator of these relationships and also predicted collective efficacy. There was also an interaction: social identification moderated the relationship between observing and providing social support. These findings serve to develop the social identity account of mass emergency behaviour and add value to disaster research by showing the relevance of concepts from collective action.
Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, Jul 6, 2015
We surveyed young children (N = 517) affected by two major earthquakes to shed light on the role ... more We surveyed young children (N = 517) affected by two major earthquakes to shed light on the role of identity processes in relation to the common observation that disasters can bring survivors closer together and enhance helping amongst them. As expected, posttraumatic stress symptoms caused by the earthquake were positively associated with intentions to have contact with and help other survivors of the earthquake, these effects being sequentially mediated by inclusion of the other in the self and by one-group representation. These findings extend previous research on both the antecedents and the behavioural effects of identity-fusion. The results are also the first quantitative test of a social identity account of collective resilience in children. We argue that these findings have practical as well as theoretical significance, as they demonstrate the adaptive function of group processes in informal responses to disasters.
European Journal of Social Psychology , May 21, 2015
There is considerable evidence that psychological membership of crowds can protect people in dang... more There is considerable evidence that psychological membership of crowds can protect people in dangerous events, although the underlying social–psychological processes have not been fully investigated. There is also
evidence that those responsible for managing crowd safety view crowds as a source of psychological danger, views that may themselves impact upon crowd safety; yet, there has been little examination of how such ‘disaster myths’ operate in practice. In a study of an outdoormusic event characterized as a near disaster, analysis of questionnaire survey data (N=48) showed that social identification with the crowd predicted feeling safe directly aswell as indirectly
through expectations of help and trust in others in the crowd to deal with an emergency. In a second study of the same event, qualitative analysis of interviews (N=20) and of contemporaneous archive materials showed
that, in contrast to previous findings, crowd safety professionals’ references to ‘mass panic’ were highly nuanced. Despite an emphasis by some safety
professionals on crowd ‘disorder’, crowd participants and some of the professionals also claimed that self-organization in the crowd prevented disaster.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014
Crowd safety is a major concern for those attending and managing mass gatherings such as the annu... more Crowd safety is a major concern for those attending and managing mass gatherings such as the annual Hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah. One threat to crowd safety at such events is crowd density. However, recent research also suggests that psychological membership of crowds can have positive benefits. We tested the hypothesis that the effect of density on safety might vary depending on whether there is shared social identification in the crowd. We surveyed 1194 pilgrims at the Holy Mosque, Makkah, during the 2012 Hajj. Analysis of the data showed that the negative effect of crowd density on reported safety was moderated by social identification with the crowd. Whereas low identifiers reported reduced safety with greater crowd density, high identifiers reported increased safety with greater crowd density. Mediation analysis suggested that a reason for these moderation effects was the perception that other crowd members were supportive. Differences in reported safety across national groups (Arab countries and Iran compared to the rest) were also explicable in terms of crowd identification and perceived support. These findings support a social identity account of crowd behaviour and offer a novel perspective on crowd safety management.
Disaster Prevention and Management, 2013
Purpose – Reports from small-scale incidents in which decontamination was conducted suggest that ... more Purpose – Reports from small-scale incidents in which decontamination was conducted suggest that a successful communication strategy is vital in order to increase public compliance with, and reduce public anxiety about, decontamination. However, it has not been possible to examine public behaviour during large scale incidents involving decontamination. The aim of the research reported here was to
examine the relationship between people’s positive perceptions of responding agencies’ communication strategies and relevant outcome variables, such as level of compliance and level of
reassurance, in several field exercises involving mass decontamination.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using feedback questionnaires completed by simulated casualties, which contained items relating to casualties’ perceptions of the success of responding agencies’ communication strategies, their confidence in emergency responders, and their compliance with the decontamination process. Path analysis was used to examine the relationships between variables.
Findings – Results show a significant relationship between responding agencies’ communication strategies, level of public reassurance, and level of public compliance. The relationship between responders’ communication strategies and the outcome variables was partially mediated by public confidence in responders.
Practical implications – Emergency responders should focus on communication with members of the public as a key element of the decontamination process, as failure to do so could result in high levels of anxiety and low levels of compliance among those who are affected.
Originality/value – This research highlights the importance of effective responder communication strategies. Further, findings indicate the value of examining feedback from field exercises in order to facilitate a greater understanding of public experiences of the decontamination process.
PLOS ONE, Mar 4, 2014
The risk of incidents involving mass decontamination in response to a chemical, biological, radio... more The risk of incidents involving mass decontamination in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear release has increased in recent years, due to technological advances, and the willingness of terrorists to use unconventional weapons. Planning for such incidents has focused on the technical issues involved, rather than on psychosocial concerns. This paper presents a novel experimental study, examining the effect of three different responder communication strategies on public experiences and behaviour during a mass decontamination field experiment. Specifically, the research examined the impact of social identity processes on the relationship between effective responder communication, and relevant outcome variables (e.g. public compliance, public anxiety, and co-operative public behaviour). All participants (n = 111) were asked to visualise that they had been involved in an incident involving mass decontamination, before undergoing the decontamination process, and receiving one of three different communication strategies: 1) ‘Theory-based communication’: Health-focused explanations about decontamination, and sufficient practical information; 2) ‘Standard practice communication’: No health-focused explanations about decontamination, sufficient practical information; 3) ‘Brief communication’: No health-focused explanations about decontamination, insufficient practical information. Four types of data were collected: timings of the decontamination process; observational data; and quantitative and qualitative self-report data. The communication strategy which resulted in the most efficient progression of participants through the decontamination process, as well as the fewest observations of non-compliance and confusion, was that which included both health-focused explanations about decontamination and sufficient practical information. Further, this strategy resulted in increased perceptions of responder legitimacy and increased identification with responders, which in turn resulted in higher levels of expected compliance during a real incident, and increased willingness to help other members of the public. This study shows that an understanding of the social identity approach facilitates the development of effective responder communication strategies for incidents involving mass decontamination.
PLoS ONE, 2013
Exposure to crowding is said to be aversive, yet people also seek out and enjoy crowded situation... more Exposure to crowding is said to be aversive, yet people also seek out and enjoy crowded situations. We surveyed participants at two crowd events to test the prediction of self-categorization theory that variable emotional responses to crowding are a function of social identification with the crowd. In data collected from participants who attended a crowded outdoor music event (n = 48), identification with the crowd predicted feeling less crowded; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through feeling less crowded. Identification with the crowd also moderated the relation between feeling less crowded and positive emotion. In data collected at a demonstration march (n = 112), identification with the crowd predicted central (most dense) location in the crowd; and there was an indirect effect of identification with the crowd on positive emotion through central location in the crowd. Positive emotion in the crowd also increased over the duration of the crowd event. These findings are in line with the predictions of self-categorization theory. They are inconsistent with approaches that suggest that crowding is inherently aversive; and they cannot easily be explained through the concept of ‘personal space’.
Contention: The Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Protest, 1, 31-51.
Emergency medicine journal : EMJ, 2012
"Background The role of ambulance clinicians in providing psychosocial care in major incidents a... more "Background
The role of ambulance clinicians in providing psychosocial care in major incidents and emergencies is recognized in recent Department of Health guidance. The study described in this paper identified NHS professional first responders’ needs for education about survivors’ psychosocial responses, training in psychosocial skills, and continuing support.
Method
Ambulance staff participated in an online Delphi questionnaire, comprising 74 items (Round 1) on 7-point Likert scales. Second- and third-round participants each received feedback based on the previous round, and responded to modified versions of the original items and to new items for clarification.
Results
One hundred and two participants took part in Round 1; 47 statements (64%) achieved consensus. In Round 2, 72 people from Round 1 participated; 15 out of 39 statements (38%) achieved consensus. In Round 3, 49 people from Round 2 participated; 15 out of 27 statements (59%) achieved consensus. Overall, there was consensus in the following areas: ‘psychosocial needs of patients’ (consensus in 34/37 items); ‘possible sources of stress in your work’ (8/9); ‘impacts of distress in your work’ (7/10); ‘meeting your own emotional needs’ (4/5); ‘support within your organization’ (2/5); ‘needs for training in psychosocial skills for patients’ (15/15); ‘my needs for psychosocial training and support’ (5/6).
Conclusion
Ambulance clinicians recognize their own education needs and the importance of their being offered psychosocial training and support. The authors recommend that, in order to meet patients’ psychosocial needs effectively, ambulance clinicians are provided with education and training in a number of skills and their own enhanced psychosocial support should be enhanced."