Psychologist explains why some Pompeii residents failed to flee Vesuvius in time
Survival psychologist Dr Sarita Robinson explains how people react to sudden disasters and why only some residents of Pompeii managed to escape before the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius.
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD buried Pompeii under a thick layer of ash, but not all residents responded to the danger the same way — some left in time, while others stayed home and hesitated. Survival psychologist Dr Sarita Robinson, who studies human behaviour during both historical and modern disasters, explains what drives such differing reactions.
Robinson took part in the making of the documentary "Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston", which premiered on National Geographic on 26 July.
Three types of reaction
According to Robinson, patterns of human behaviour in crisis situations have remained largely unchanged for centuries. When faced with sudden danger, people can be divided into groups based on how quickly they are able to act.
About 10% of people are able to stay calm almost immediately and begin acting purposefully — usually because they have already thought through how they would respond in such a situation. Most people, however, need time to process what is happening before deciding how to act. Robinson also notes that uncontrolled panic and chaotic running, often depicted in films, is in reality a fairly rare behaviour pattern.
The case of Pompeii
Before the eruption, the area around Pompeii had already experienced earthquakes, but residents had most likely never witnessed anything as devastating as what followed. Robinson points out that once rocks began falling from the sky, there could no longer be any doubt that something serious was happening — but up until that point, many may have lacked clarity about how severe the situation truly was and how they should respond.
