The Nature and Conditions of Panic

Current conceptions of the nature and conditions of panic are inadequate and lack an empirical basis. Using data gathered by the Disaster Team of the National Opinion Research Center and other documentary sources, a comparative and analytical examination of specific instances of the behavior is made. A conception is developed of panic as the very antithesis of organized group activity-as an acute fear reaction marked by loss of self-control which is followed by nonsocial and nonrational flight. Such behavior arises upon a definition of possible entrapment, a perception of collective powerlessness, and a feeling of individual isolation in a crisis.