Psychology of Survival and Security: A Behavioral Analysis (part 1 of 6)

Copyright ESIS 2017. Arctic Survival

Psychology of Survival and Security: A Behavioral Analysis

Part 1 of 6

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the behavior and motivation of people in a survival situation put there by a crisis such as natural or Human-made disasters, and now having to temporarily or longer fend for themselves. The study seeks to explore and analyze people in such environments and to understand what is going on within the psychological, emotional, behavioral, and analytical functions that keep them going or has them give up. The research will explore human behavior and motivation in a crisis as it relates to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, specifically survival and security needs, and the brain and psychological effects that positively or negatively affect a person’s chances of survival not only physically but mentally as well.

Psychology of Survival and Security: A Behavioral Analysis

             Lundin states that about 90 percent of a person’s survival is psychology (2003). At times people might find themselves in life and death situations where they have to fend for their survival. Be it a person having to deal with being homeless through economically related issues, natural or human-made catastrophes, or just only lost in nature. What do all these things have in common? The answer is survival and the mindset that it takes to make it out alive both mentally and physically.

            As the economy went crashing, businesses closed and some people lost their life-savings. I also was a victim of this global economic plague and lost almost everything. Not long after the financial crash, my partners and I lost both our business as well as our life savings, and soon after, I became homeless.

            With the onset of depression and anxiety, I barely managed to hold on for dear life in a foreign land surrounded by a few friends who supported me as best as they could, considering their misfortune. One homeless day to the next, I found myself surrounded by people in similar situations trying to make it day-by-day. Of course, my predicament was not as unfortunate as most in this homeless crisis, given the fact I had education, training, and other skills to later get a few bucks into my pockets and food into my belly.  

            Coming from a background as an avid outdoorsman and had extensive survivalist training, and thinking I was well prepared to handle the situation. All my training did not prepare me for the psychological impact on self-esteem and anxiety that went along with being out on the streets as a so-called “dreg of society.” Nothing could have prepared me for the shame, depression, and the mental fatigue that went along with living like a rat trying to get by on a few meals a day without going mentally insane and killing myself.

            Before I can even commit to getting out of this hell, daily needs had to be met, for the short-term as well as the possible long-term. This meant that attaining daily survival needs of eatable foods and drinkable water as well as maintaining a secure availability of these resources was paramount. Not only were the food and shelter needs challenging to attain, but nothing was as hard as the psychological impact it had not only on myself but also on the others in our group. This situation was by definition a full-blown crisis now, and I have to get out of it with my sanity and physical health intact.

            The purpose of this exploratory research is to explore what people go through psychologically and emotionally and to analyze how it affects people’s motivation and attitude to survive the crisis. This exploratory study will examine the behaviors and motivations of people in survival situations as well as the challenges they face when needs are hard to meet. The external needs such as food, water, and shelter are evident needs, but what is not apparent are that prolonged survival situations bring on anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts as well as long-term stress-related illnesses in some cases.

            The importance of the exploratory research is to analyze the psychology of survival using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a foundation, specifically survival and security, to explore what people are going to go through psychologically and mentally when faced with uncertainties. The exploratory analysis will research how the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system influences a person in a crisis and the effects it has on behavior, motivation, emotional state that will either help them or hurt them in light of Maslow’s needs in the context of motivation and behavior assessment.

            This topic is important because it is vital to know what affects a person’s behavior in a crisis as it relates to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as people move from survival to security. The research also explores what neurological and hormonal processes that affect the mental state and how the neurological functions impact positively or negatively on behavior and motivation.

Also, an analysis of internal stressors plays a part in a person’s physiological states that cause a person to choose death as a relief and how to recognize and avoid it.

            The results of the analysis may be used by trauma counselors, survival instructors and even the individuals themselves to have a sense of self-awareness as to what will happen to them and what paths to take in better aiding a positive outcome in the context of Maslow’s needs as a base. To take control of anxiety and panic, we must understand how we function mentally. Many people know more about the mechanics and technical workings of a car or a computer when they break down, but find that they cannot understand their mental breakdown and how to correct it. In my analysis of the psychology of survival and security from literature as well as my personal experiences, I will analyze what psychological issues motivated people to act in their best interest or frustrated their efforts.

            Understanding the brain and its effect on psychology is vital to understanding what influences behavior, motivation, and emotions needed for survival and security.

Literature review

            Many individuals do not understand the brain functions and processes that lead to negative or positive behaviors in crisis. Moreover, by not knowing these activities within the brain, it is difficult to overcome obstacles and act appropriately to move up from the survival to security needs.

            The analysis is essential to gain an understanding of what people who are in a crisis are going through psychologically and neurologically. By recognizing and understanding these psychological and brain functions, a person can have an insight on how to overcome challenges within themselves in addition to external problems. The hardest challenge for many to overcome is the one in their mind, brain, and psychology.

            It is essential to understand why we do the things we do and why we do not do the right things in a crisis. It is an important topic because many that do not understand the process of the brain and its effects on the physiology followed by correct survival actions tend to fall into depression, anxiety and suicide by thinking there is something wrong with them and it hijacks the emotions to rational thinking making way to frustration and death.

Global disasters and the psychological effect

            Many people who find themselves having to survive a crisis and fend for themselves are trying to balance mental health and physical health during survival and security situation, as well as balancing the act of giving up or fighting to live. Lundin (2003) a well-known survival expert both by the military and civilian world reminds his students that when it comes to surviving a devastating crisis, that which can go wrong will go wrong. A crisis occurs when a person least expects it, such as a car breaking down, unpredictable devastating weather conditions such as hurricane Harvey and hurricane Irma that left much of the southern USA and its south of Florida island devastated with hundreds of thousands having to fend for themselves with basic government support.

            According to Lundin (2003) and his wisdom regarding a person finding themselves in a crisis, it seems to come true for many people. He states that in recent times, there are vast and complex ranges of dangers both natural and human-made, that can turn a mundane event into one of a life-threatening situation. What may seem to be a storm or a holiday trip into the woods can quickly escalate into a deadly scenario.

            An example of Lundin’s event that turned into a life-threatening situation is the events in Fukushima Japan, on March 11 to March 15, 2011. What started out like an earthquake out at sea, rapidly turned into a 15-meter high tsunami endangering only the coastline, that tsunami rolled like a domino effect into a nuclear reactor that caused an explosion resulting in a nuclear meltdown. That meltdown leaked out to sea affecting both animal life and human life for generations, followed by population displacement.  According to World Nuclear Association (2017), 100,000 people evacuated their homes, cities, and well over 1000 deaths recorded to date, followed by 267,000 displaced refugees. The World Nuclear Association statistics back up Lundin’s observation that people at anytime and anywhere can find themselves a statistic in being displaced by natural disasters.

The psychological and emotional traumas

            A study by Bromet Ph.D. an independent research professional reported that the devastation of the nuclear power plant left many in a socio-economic struggle that was associated with the psychological distress and continued suffering of the locals (2014). Tsujiuchi a professor at the Japanese department of Health Sciences and Social Welfare also backed up Bromets report and elaborated that PTSD suffering from a human-made disaster is greater than the numbers of PTSD suffering individuals from the experience of a natural disaster (2015). Psychological consequences for many people suffering in a crisis are not limited to the immediate crisis itself but also consequences for many years to come.

            Disasters leading to a crisis can strike anyone at any time and in any geographical location, whether it is a natural disaster such as winter whiteouts, floods or hurricanes. Tragedy has a long-lasting impact on people mentally.

            Pampel (2008) a professor of sociology, claimed that devastation could be a long-term or a short-term crisis-affecting humans and animals’ alike leading to large-scale deaths, suffering both mentally and physically that disrupts the everyday life in society, community or a large geographical area. A UNISDR report on a 20-year review shows that 90% of global disasters that have a high impact on society relates directly to weather conditions such as hurricanes, flooding, heatwaves, and snowstorms add up to 6,457 weather-related events.

            Natural disasters are responsible for 606,000 deaths averaging out to 30,000 deaths per year. These natural disasters leave 4.1 billion people displaced and homeless as well as requiring emergency assistance.  The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (2015) also predicts that natural disasters caused by weather conditions will grow and the fact that there will also be more people on the planet will add to a growth of displaced and homeless people as well as a higher death rate to follow.

            In addition to natural disasters, there is also war-related devastation leading to a crisis in the affected areas that will increase the displacement of people who will fall into the category of asylum seekers, refugees who seek to ensure survival and seek out safety with lasting security.

            What we see from these reports are that devastating events have a tremendous psychological impact on populations and it is clear that they will be affected with mental traumas as a result of going through such crisis and being displaced.

Displaced and crisis

            According to research conducted by Speak (2003), people became homeless and displaced for a variety of reasons in addition to natural disasters or wars. Dr. Speak of the Global Urban Research Unit states that becoming homeless or displaced and having to fend for yourself can also come through social causes such as poverty, loss of a job, loss of a marriage, family death as well as other life events.

             Yonatani of the Norwegian refugee council reported that since 2008, 26.4 million people became homeless yearly due to natural made disasters. Not only has this displacement have a devastating on people in the way of economic loss and death, but also the social and psychological marginalization challenges that come with surviving a devastation. The disruption to people’s lives by the destruction that caused psychological traumas affects how long people will stay displaced after a human-made or natural disaster (2015).

            The mental health impact of people who try to survive and find security become at risk to short term and long term mental health problems. According to the Norwegian Politician and the 1993-2003 Director General of the World health organization, Brundtland (2000), they are making an intense effort to meet the mental health needs of those displaced by war and become refugees. WHO claims that there is a global awareness of the psychological impact that refugees must face as well as long-term mental health devastation and long-term treatment.

            From what we know survival and trying to attain security in the face of a devastating event leading to a crisis, has psychological effects indeed. But written literature dealing with such topics neglect to explain the inner mental workings of how it affects people such as the effects on the brain, hormones, and neurotransmitters to aid others in recognizing these effects and deal with them pre-crisis or during a crisis.

Survival and security

            Maslow (1943) states that a living thing in order to survive need to seek survival followed by security to continue living. Living things start finding basic survival needs such as homeostasis needs of the body such as water, salt, sugar, proteins, fats, calcium, and oxygen as well as temperature regulation of the blood as the most basic of needs to sustain life. Homeostasis needs are what humans need to survive physiologically and by having these needs met or not met will determine the motivation and behavior of the person. Lacking in homeostasis needs will determine the adverse outcome of the person’s behavior and motivation.

            Maslow (1943) stated that when the basics of physiological needs go unmet, the person is only motivated to meet these physiological needs and no other motivation exists and becomes merely last of their needs. Maslow (1943) goes on to say that, if the person is hungry and thirsty, all motivation and behavior goes to fulfilling the need to eat and drink. When a person is hungry or thirsty to the point of danger, nothing exists to him in context of motivations but the motivation and behavior that will lead to having food in his belly.

            A professor of psychology, Buss (2016) points out that in a survival situation hunger and eating takes up more time and energy than any other needs seeking behavior. Also, Buss (2016) points out that interest to psychologists in context of two motivational issues are hunger and thirst. The feelings of hunger and thirst become active when there appears to be a shortage of food, and thirst becomes triggered when there seems to be a shortage of water. It is evident that people need food, water and shelter to survive, but what is not so obvious is the buildup of anxiety when one does not find these needs met, and the negative effects it has on motivation and behavior.

            Security needs. Maslow (1943) in his research claims that once the physiological needs are satisfied then comes the next set of needs, which may be called security, or safety needs. A human is a security and safety-seeking creature and within the intellect starts the safety-seeking behavior such as the motivational drive to be safe.  Security like its more base needs called survival needs once fulfilled, the seeking of security now becomes the dominant driver to reach the security goal. Like the behavior pattern of physiological needs being the prime importance over everything else, security and safety now become the motivating factor in behavior, and everything else becomes less important and less critical. Maslow (1943) continues stating that a person in a constant security mode of living is doing it out of a chronic and extreme need for safety.

              Maslow (1954) explains that when the survival needs have been met, such as the physiological needs are fulfilled then precedes a new group of needs such as security, stability, dependency, protection, freedom from the anxiety of chaotic events, and finally structural stability of sorts. Seeking out other people during a crisis for support only adds to the security feeling, and if people feel insecure, it is hard for people to move up the needs base ladder and get themselves out of the dangerous situation.

            Associate Psychology Professor Starratt (2016) found that seeking out groups lets people attain protection from the environment, threatening people, or animals as well as a chance to have access to resources that they would be hard or unable to acquire alone. Moreover, Starratt supports Maslow’s idea that basic safety need adds to the peace of mind reducing anxiety, stress, and fear (1954).

Psychological impact of devastation leading to crisis

            Lundin (2003) claims that Survival is 90 percent psychology and if you become emotionally broken during devastation that leads to crisis, and you must survive and fend for yourself, your chances of surviving the disaster gets reduced significantly. Lundin adds to what the US Army already teaches its Army recruits about survival.

            According to the US Army (Department, 2016), the key to surviving a disaster, which leads to a crisis, is the attitude and mental stability of a person. Although having skills to survive crises are essential, having the will and mental fortitude to endure is the primary force towards survival. If the psychological capacity during a crisis fails, then knowledge and skills one acquires from training become useless.

            How does a person manage his or her mental stability without understanding what exactly is going on in the brain to disrupt the balance in the first place? We cannot control the devastation or the crisis, but we can to a degree control the mental stability by understanding what is going on within us.

            Understanding how stress and anxiety activate the brains stress response is a step closer to understanding how it will eventually affect a person and how this effect will have a controlling influence on their emotions, behavior, and motivation.

            Impact on emotion, motivation, and behavior. A professor of psychology and neuroscience, Wagner (2006) points out that scientists and scholars are conducting discussions worldwide about the study of the brain to understand the mind, and the overwhelming majority of scientists and scholars believe that understanding the brain it is crucial. Neurobiologists are also asking the question if we need to understand the mind to have a better understanding of the brain. In addition, Wagner (2006) adds that if we are to understand human behavior, we must in fact study the human brain, and brain data provides a wealth of information about the mind that not even a lengthy study of human behavior can provide. Therefore, it is his opinion that brain activity and insight into the working of the brain offers a much more detailed picture as to human behavior. Human behavior and motivation are keys to survival, but they are not complete without the emotional aspect that is evident in a crisis.

            Psychology Professor Strongman (2003) adds to support Wagner, that emotion is a vital part of life and affects our lives in things we do and things we say. Emotions become manifest in our physiology, how we express ourselves as well as our behavior. Just as we feel pain physically, emotions give us information that is vital to our mental and physical health when it comes to our survival and security amongst other things. Strongman (2003) adds that emotions having an enormous impact on survival are rooted in evolutionary history, and this idea became developed and first talked about by Darwin and promoted by McDougall who in turn connected emotions to motivation. Psychology Professors Whalen and Phelps (2009) explain that the study of human emotions and its effects stemming from the brain has a bright future in the study of psychology.

            Professor of Psychology Plotnik (2013) illustrates an example that when seeing a rattlesnake crawling by your head as your laying in the grass causes instant reaction of fear. Understanding and explaining exactly where this fear comes from have taken a variety of approaches. 1. The peripheral theories of emotions focus on how a person changes in the body physiologically develop emotional moods within a person. 2. The cognitive appraisal theory of emotions focuses and promotes the concept of how people interpret situations around us and thereby developing emotion and moods. 3. Neuroscience approach evaluates the foundational neural bases of emotion. By taking into account the brain’s neural circuits, as well as how the brain takes in a person’s experiences, the brain expresses emotions back to the person as emotional reactions.

            When it comes to human behavior motivation in the context of survival and security, emotions play a crucial role, but Neuroscientist Ledeux (1996) points out that when it comes to emotions, people know what emotions are, but they do not seem to understand how to define it. As observed by professor and psychologist at Harvard Medical School, Cannon (1922), fear, anger, pain, and hunger are experiences we all share with animals, and they are the most potent expressions that influence behavior and motivation of both humans and animals alike.

            According to the research done by the Harvard Medical School (2016), fear, anxiety, and stress causing situations such as loss of job, bad economy, war, or natural disasters cause chronic stress. Moreover, the domino effect of chronic stress affects a whole host of stress hormones that in turn bring on a wide range of physiological changes. The main culprits that we must understand are the amygdala, hypothalamus, and the cerebral cortex.

            Knowing and understanding the functions of these areas of the brain can guide people to understanding how external events affect these parts of the brain. These results, in turn, cause physiological changes such as high blood pressure, muscle tension, and sweating of the body leading to behavior and motivational issues such as fight or flight response. We must understand that to have a general understanding of these fundamental processes in the brain can have a positive effect on managing it and counter the stress response.

            Wagner (2006) claims that by understanding these basic facts on what is happening in our brain, we can better understand and manage how we perceive the dangers and understand what motivates our behavior as well as emotions that the situation produces within us.       

            According to Kalat (2009), a professor of Psychology states that the sympathetic nervous system followed by the adrenal cortex becomes stimulated by stressful events, and prolonged severe stressful events bring on similar bodily reactions that illnesses bring on. Therefore, by understanding these small but essential facts about our inner working may genuinely have an impact on the survival and security of a person.

            According to survival and disaster management experts such as Lundin (2003), understanding the psychological impact of a crisis, and how to mitigate its harmful effects on people, is a vital component in aiding a person in positive behaviors that lead to positive motivations that aid in survival and security. Security and survival expert Lundin observed and reported that survival is 90 percent psychology, and therefore survival and security must be understood from not only a physical aspect of preparation but mainly from a psychological perspective (2003).

            It is well documented by psychologists, survival experts, disaster management organizations as well as the military, that crisis produced by disasters both natural and human-made have a direct psychological impact on people for the short term and long term. Understanding what is happening to us will aid in the positive outcome of a security and survival situation.

Crisis and disasters defined

            The definition of a disaster as defined by learner’s dictionary is “a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention” (Merriam-Webster, 2017).

            Likewise, the definition of disaster is a “sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss or destruction” (Merriam-Webster, 2017).

            When it comes to people and how they are affected, Merriam-Webster defines a person under a crisis as an “emotionally significant event or a radical change of status in a person’s life. An unstable or critical time or state of affairs in which a change is impending; especially: one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome (Merriam-Webster, 2017).

            It is within these parameters that the people who find themselves homeless fighting for their survival as well as attempting to ensure their survival, by seeking out security that the exploration and analysis of our group’s survival take place.  

Part 2
The biology of a brain in crisis.  The brain in crisis. Continued next post...

Psychology of Survival and Security: A Behavioral Analysis (part 2 of 6)

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The biology of a brain in crisis

The brain in crisis

   The limbic system has a significant part to play when it comes to the stress as well as emotional responses. The parts of the limbic system that most interest me in the exploratory research to a person in crisis, as it relates to Maslow’s needs of survival and security and its effects on motivational and emotional behaviors are the amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus and the thalamus (Kalat, 2009). 

   In addition to the limbic system, the interest also extends to the autonomic nervous systems effects, in the context of motivation and behavior as well as the sympathetic nervous system with the parasympathetic nervous system. The interests in these specific areas are important because they are the primary parts of the brain that affect stress and anxiety when it comes to motivational behavior and emotions (Kalat, 2009). 

   also, analysis of the leading hormones that affect emotion, behaviors, and motivation are the primary interest of the exploratory research. Hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine aka noradrenaline and epinephrine are explored within this context and importance. For the positive hormones, I will examine endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, GABA gamma-aminobutyric as it relates to aiding or hurting an individual’s survival and security behaviors.

   Amygdala in stress. The amygdala, located at the inner tip area of the temporal lobe, gets its information input from the eyes and ears as well as other sensors and takes in potential threat stimulus from the outside world. The sensor then sends the information to the amygdala for emotional processing. The amygdala interprets the situation and stimulus by observing that there is danger present, it sends the alarm to the hypothalamus (Plotnik & Kouyoumjian, 2011). 

   In addition, the stimulation of the amygdala is not only activated by actual threats but also by memories of past dangerous and emotional events (Plotnik & Kouyoumjian, 2011). The activation of the amygdala will even have an impact on motivation, behavior, and emotions that lead to survival and security.

   Within the amygdala, there are specialized neurons called the fear neurons that respond to an emotional situation that presents fear. Also, the amygdala is the place where the processing of emotions such as fear connected to memories thereby becoming stimulated when the memory of a fearful event is recalled (Plotnik & Kouyoumjian, 2011).

  Hippocampus in stress. The hippocampus is located under the cortex in the temporal lobe. Its purpose is to transfer short-term memory to the long-term memory, such as words, personal experiences and motor skills. While the hippocampus involves memories but does not involve emotional feeling connected to those memories (Plotnik & Kouyoumjian, 2011).

  Hypothalamus in stress. The hypothalamus is located near the bottom middle area of the brain and is the command center that sends signals to the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system, which controls the involuntary body functions. Automatic body functions such as blood pressure, heartbeat, breathing, blood vessel contraction or expansion as well as the small airways in the lungs called bronchioles. The hypothalamus is a master controller and regulates much of the person’s motivational and emotional behaviors (Plotnik & Kouyoumjian, 2011).

  In addition, the hypothalamus also controls the autonomic nervous system such as internal temperature, regulation of apatite and thirst. It also manages behaviors associated with survival such as fighting, eating, fleeing, and mating as well as emotions such as pleasure, pain, and reaction to stress (Sternberg & Mio, 2009).

  Thalamus in stress. The thalamus is part of the limbic located in the middle of the forebrain. The thalamus receives sensory information from the senses and processes them followed by sending the processed information to the areas of the cortex. These include the somatosensory, primary auditory as well as the primary visual cortexes. In addition, the thalamus helps to initiate movements of the legs and arms for example addition to all parts of the body (Plotnik & Kouyoumjian, 2011).

   Cerebral cortex in stress. The Cerebral cortex controls much of the processes that go into thought and information processing. This highly developed part of the brain is responsible for a person’s thinking abilities, perceiving situations and understanding language (Sternberg & Mio, 2009). During emotionally stressful situations, the limbic system within the cerebral cortex is responsible for the higher cognitive functions as well as controlling the autonomic nervous system (Plotnik & Kouyoumjian, 2011).

   Autonomic nervous in stress. The autonomic nervous system has two parts, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system (Ramachandran, 2002). The sympathetic nervous system is like accelerator within a car, and the excitability triggers the fight or flight response, which in turn initiates a burst of energy so it can take action in a dangerous situation as well as controlling body’s stress response to take measures immediately (Brannon, Feist, Updrgraff, 2014). 

  The parasympathetic nervous system is like a bicycle brake and slows the brain and body down by putting it into a more relaxed state after a threat has passed (Brannon, Feist, Updrgraff, 2014). 

Stress response and hormones

The stress response

   What did the group members experience when they were under stress? The person under stress has two systems within the brain that responds to stress. The first is the sympathetic-adrenal medullary system, and the second is the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. The Sympathetic adrenal medullary (SAM) is easy to trigger when under stress, while the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) becomes triggered in more extreme stress situations (Abraham, Conner, Jones, O’Connor, 2016).

 

   The Sympathetic adrenal medullary (SAM) is initiated from an instantaneous startle like being shocked into fright by seeing a snake at your foot and sends a message to the adrenal glands to rapidly distributes noradrenalin which then initiates the organs within the body to respond to the stress (Abraham et al., 2016).

 

   At the same time adrenal medulla releases adrenalin that rapidly gets dispersed throughout the bloodstream making the person that experiences it to be in an instant state of alertness, and this state of readiness is called the fight or flight response (Abraham et al., 2016).

  At the same time, the Sympathetic adrenal medullary (SAM) response kicks in the hypothalamus activating the release of the chemical called corticotrophin-releasing factor CRF into the bloodstream down to the pituitary gland and starts the initiation of the adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH). As the hormone gets released and travels through the system to the adrenal cortex, it initiates the production and releases glucocorticoid cortisol (Abraham et al., 2016).

   Cortisol response. One of the primary jobs of the cortisol is to give the body access to the storage of extra energy fats and proteins, as well as to decrease any inflammation within the body. The energy that the body now has after the cortisol release gets stored in the muscles and the liver as glycogen. Glycogen is broken down into glucose and is used for the body as well as the brain as energy under stress (Abraham et al., 2016).

  Adrenalin, norepinephrine and epinephrine response.  Adrenal glands are located at the top ends of the kidneys. Within the center of the adrenal gland are the adrenal medulla, and they release the hormone called adrenaline as well as noradrenaline. This hormone influences the visceral organs like the neurons that act on the nervous system. They do this by increasing the heartbeat, pump glucose into the blood, get the blood to muscles, and improve energy levels. In addition, epinephrine also aids in breathing more comfortably and helps a person to become responsive (Abraham et al., 2016).

In addition to adverse responses due to stress that affected motivation, behavior, and emotions there were positive responses to the rewards that the group attained such as shelter, water, and food. These positive hormones and neurotransmitters were endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin.

   Endorphins response. Endorphins play a role in pain relief by reducing the level of pain. In addition, it affects mood by reducing anxiety and raising the level of feeling pleasure giving a person a feeling such as when someone describes the sense of a “runners high” (Starratt, 2016).

Dopamine response. Dopamine plays a part when it comes to the enjoyment of play, and activities such as playing stimulate many parts of the brain. In the expression of play, dopamine flows to the brain and helps in dealing with stress that is generated by a stressful environment as well as essential to deal with stress. In addition to feeling good during play, dopamine has positive connections to learning and creativity. (In Wilson & In keil, 2001)

Serotonin response. Low levels of serotonin change mood and effects aggression, increases depression, controls impulsive behavior although not a specific aggression initiator. High levels of serotonin inhibit a variety of human desires and motivations including the impulse for violence in some cases. Decreases sexual arousal and blocks dopamine (Kalat, 2009).

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Part 3. The Crisis. Continued next post...

Psychology of Survival and Security: A Behavioral Analysis (part 3 of 5)

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Part 3 of 6

The crisis

            After the surviving group members found themselves in a crisis having to fend for themselves, they realized that there is no way of getting assistance nor getting into a shelter. Some members tried to seek a shelter of some form by sleeping under temporary shelters such as self-made wind protection such as tarps or woods, or even an old car if possible. Shelter became the primary goal in the minds of those affected by the wind and cold, or in some cases heat. The panic and distress of feeling exposed affected group members to various degrees. Everyone felt the effects of the crisis, but not everyone felt it to the same degree.

Emotion felt knowing in helplessness

            The emotion of panic developed in many group members each in their own way that expressed itself in unclear and hurried thinking. It was evident that the brain was in a fight or flight response mode, and this being the case affected memory, emotions, behavior, and motivation. From my observation and exploration of the situation, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was being played out in real time. Questions like, what will we eat and drink? Where will we stay? How will we keep warm? These issues and more were the discussion points within the group.

            The individuals that have now found themselves living out a crisis due to devastating events in their lives were unaware that they were living out Maslow’s needs theories of what motivates creatures. However, many did not understand their own emotions, and in some cases this caused them to live in hardship and struggle to succeed in survive and gain security. The group’s struggles were not only due to lack of food, water or shelter but from the inner working of their brain and psychology that led some to fail and others to seek death as a means of escape.

            What the group members did not know seemed to make the problems more prominent than they already were, and what they did not know is why they are behaving as they were. Whether it was called worrying, anxiety, fear or panic, they all had this in common, they all affected emotions, motivation and behavior for the positive or the negative. In addition, they also have commonality in brain function and hormonal functions that are bad for short-term and long-term health.

            Group members used words such as worry, anxiety, fear, and panic all used interchangeably during the crisis as well as feeling similar effects by individual members. Some group members felt these feeling to somewhat of a greater and some to a lesser degree.

Crisis effects on emotions

            No matter the emotion, emotions play a big part in the existence and survival of the human beings. Just like physical pain, emotions are an information source when it comes to expressing our personal experiences to aid in well-being as well as our very own survival (Strongman, 2003).

            Emotions in a state of crisis help to act as a survival mechanism, but when emotions go unmanaged, they can be a detriment to a person who is trying to survive. Even if emotions have a negative influence on reasoning abilities as well as learning, emotions have been the root of many successes as well as many failures when it came to taking actions in moments of need (Gonzales, 2003). As time passed, our group realized that emotions needed managing to make them a positive tool for our survival.

            At times, the group and I found ourselves smiling and laughing, and the emotion of happiness followed similar reactions from other group members. Laughter was a great booster of energy and mood, and so the left prefrontal cortex of the brain was stimulated: the left prefrontal cortex is where the feeling of pleasure and motivation stem from (Gonzales, 2003).

            By stimulating this area of the brain, it helps in calming fear and frustration by sending chemical signals to the amygdala and reducing the fear effect. Therefore, we can say that laughter helps reduce the negative emotions that impair our ability to behave correctly given the situation and have a positive motivation (Gonzales, 2003).

            Panic and fear reaction. Panic and fear are what the group felt when they were confronted with a situation that would bring them physical or emotional harm at the moment or sometime soon; fear can be either a real threat or imagined threat. In the midst of a fear and panic reactions depending on the situation, some people may take flight from the danger or fight the threat, and in some cases, panic may be so overwhelming as to cause the person to freeze up from fear or as I have observed it was the inaction to take action.

            In a survival situation when a person took on the fighting role, they were motivated to survive. In a survival situation, the person does not have the option to take flight to escape the predicament they were in since they were in a position where they must fend for themselves, and the flight mode was not possible but at times only turned into a freeze mode resulting in inaction.

            If a group member did choose a flight mode, it was either in being in denial or in later seeking a chemical means of escaping reality. This third stage of the fight, flight or freeze reaction is the freeze stage where the person did not have the will nor the strength to take action that would ensure their survival and security. Some group members were paralyzed by fear or shock to do anything.

            When it came to the first of Maslow’s level of needs such as survival, some were motivated to fight, some to take flight, while some just froze and did nothing. As I analyzed the situation with first-person experience and observation, it was paramount to understand how the fight, flight and freeze behavior worked so it can be managed to assist the individual or group as a whole to keep motivation positive and to behave correctly to ensure survival and security.

            Fear is more directly linked to a specific danger and brings on the fight or flight response after being alerted to danger. Panic is part of fear, but in a more intense form and more immediate. As with fear, panic also brings on the fight flight or freeze state. The Oxford dictionary defines panic as a sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing behaviors that lacked thought or situational evaluation (Oxford dictionary, 2017).

            The analysis and observation yielded that pre, mid and post-devastation, individual group members developed a fear and panic reaction to the situation they found themselves in. This panic reaction causes them fear and apprehension, while some people reported that they felt that they are about to die or going to go crazy, some even said they feel like they are having a heart attack or pass out.

            Panic. In a panic state, the person may feel anxiety by the fact that their sympathetic nervous system is working in a heightened state and is releasing extra energy to prepare the persons to take action (Strongman, 2003). This effect can come in the form of fight, flight or freeze.

            Fear. The emotion fear highjacks the part of the brain that seeks to reason and thinks things through. The amygdala in which there are two located one on each side of the brain in conjunction with another part of the body and brain start a complicated process that drives behavior to aid in ensuring survival (Whalen, Phelps, 2009).

             As the fear emotion kicked in, it starts the process of activation of neural networks that release chemicals in the brain and throughout the body. The most common hormone chemical that people typically know is adrenaline (Gonzales, 2003).

            The results of the adrenaline in the body are the contraction of smooth muscle fibers and the excitement of nerve cells to prepare the body for action (Gonzales, 2003).

            One neurotransmitter and hormone that initiates the instantaneous reaction to a fear-generating incident is norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is felt in the rapid speeding up of the heart as well as getting goosebumps when one is unexpectedly startled (Kalat, 2009). Cortisol released from the adrenal cortex increases the fear feeling. Once the amygdala is stimulated through the perception of danger, breathing speeds up, heart rate increases, the metabolic system takes in more sugars, and the oxygen supply increases to increase the output of speed needed to run, or strength required to fight (Kalat, 2009).

            Happiness. Most common of the positive mood changing and pain reducing hormones are endorphins. The endorphins flood the brain during a psychologically traumatic event or in extreme pain and can be comparable to morphine (Plotnik & Kouyoumjian, 2011). Another happiness-producing hormone is serotonin, which has a positive effect on mood (Brannon et al., 2014). Dopamine is yet another feel-good chemical the brain produces, a neurotransmitter that aids in the brains reward producing system after an event (Brannon et al., 2014).

             Anxiety. Anxiety is when someone anticipates trouble; in a state of anxiety, people try to find hope in what seems to be a hopeless situation. In anxiety, a person is asking himself or herself a lot of what ifs, and imagine or perceives a lousy outcome. Anxiety produces worrying about the future because they do not seem to have answers or solutions to problems.

            Anxiety causes an edgy feeling in the person, quick-tempered at times and is always looking out for the next threat. Due to the nature of anxiety, it also produces the same fight or flight response that fear does. In addition, stress hormones such as cortisol to aid in speed, reflexes and so on, fuel anxiety feeling. Unlike stress that typically causes anger, sadness, and excitement, anxiety involves fear, dread, and apprehension (kalat, 2009).

            Anxiety and worry vary among people for genetic reasons, and the amygdala is one of the central areas where the connection of a crisis environment and a person’s genetic makeup will determine the amount of anxiety that is felt (kalat, 2009). In general, there are levels of anxiety displayed by those seeking to survive, and these displays of anxiety are either immediately within a crisis or later on. Some people exhibit anxiety by talking a lot, laughing, crying or being very silent.

            Worry. Anxiety and worry stimulation take place in a few parts of the brain; the amygdala and the hippocampus are the major players in the occurrence of anxiety (Whalen, 2009).

            The amygdala is like a relay that relays information seen or heard by the person and interprets these external incoming signals as potential threats, thus activating the anxiety effect. The emotions of fear and sadness become stored in the hippocampus (Strongman, 2003), and stores this feeling in memory for later retrieval and this effect causes the anticipation of nonexistent anxiety or worries, thus effecting current and future decision-making processes by the person.

            When I explained this to people, who were in the shadow of anxiety and cannot figure out why they cannot get rid of it. They realize that it is not some “spiritual weakness” or that there is something mentally wrong with them, so now by understanding why they jump to anxiety in its negative context, they were better able to manage its cortisol-producing effects and calm down.

            However, anxiety is not always bad, a person can be on top of a cliff’s ledge, and as they are crossing, become concerned about falling, and thereby being more cautious and careful how they cross the ridge.

            Depression. The biology of depression is complicated, but a simple understanding of it may help to manage it in a crisis thereby breaking free of the paralyzing effect it has on a person.

The root of depression is associated with an imbalance of neurotransmitters, serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine (Nemade & Staats, 2009). The neurotransmitter serotonin plays a significant role in the bodies overall working, and these functions are aggressive behavior, sleeping ability as well as mood. Research suggests that lower production of serotonin by neurons in some people under depression can cause the feeling of suicidal behavior (Nemade & Staats, 2009).  

            In addition to serotonin, a person lacking the neurotransmitter norepinephrine in specific parts of the brain was also a contributor to depression; however, research also shows that not everyone who is depressed has a lower level of norepinephrine. Some people have overactive neurons that make norepinephrine (Nemade & Staats, 2009).

            Lastly, the neurotransmitter dopamine also has a contributing role when it came to depression in people. Dopamine has a vital role in managing the motivation to seek out pleasure feeling activities (Nemade & Staats, 2009).

            Although the previously mentioned topics have more details from a scientific and biological perspective, this basic understanding of the brain and hormonal issues were enough to go on in context of the psychology of survival and security as well as the recognition of motivations or lack of motivations and behaviors that followed.

            Given the fundamental and foundational details on the brains function as well as the hormones associated with it in context of anxiety. I proceeded with exploring the effects on the group’s behavior in an actual crisis and learn to recognize what is happening to them so they can take measures to minimize its impact as an individual tries to fulfill the needs of survival and security.

Part 4. Cognitive functions in a crisis. To be continued...

Psychology of Survival and Security: A Behavioral Analysis (part 4 of 6)

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Cognitive functions

            When it comes to cognition and the mental processes it takes to get the tasks of ensuring survival and security done, as well as learn from mistakes, the main areas that were affected during stress were the memory, attention, reasoning, thinking, and awareness. These affected cognition functions were not only evident to ourselves, but to others around us.

Effects on memory

            Memory seemed to be the first affected when it came to acting under pressure. Short-term memories such as locating a tool became a dance of checks and rechecks of our area so nothing would remain behind when we moved to safer locations. Remembering to drink, to eat, remembering good times of the past and remembering basic tasks all seemed to be a mental challenge that kept the group always on edge. Moreover, if something would remain behind by a group member such as a bottle of water due to forgetfulness, this forgetfulness became a source of fighting and aggression that affected the group’s motivation.    

            Not only does the activation of the amygdala due to stress affect perception, but it also has an impact on retrieving and forming memories. When the amygdala is stimulated and becomes triggered, it has a significant effect on working memory, and so things that were easy to recall under no stress situations became an effort to remember under fear and anxiety (Gonzales, 2003).

            When cortisol is in the system, it floods the hippocampus and has an adverse effect on its output. The amygdala has a vast network connection to the sensory cortices, rhinal cortex, and anterior cingulate as well as the ventral prefrontal cortex, the dominant area of the memory areas (Gonzales, 2003). Both the input of information for memory and the output information to draw from memory are now influenced (Gonzales, 2003).

            Due to the memory problems with little things that many of the group members had such as, retrieval of essential memories on how to do the simplest of tasks were forgotten, and of course how the members perceived situations was negatively affected and hindered motivation for more complex tasks.

 Effects on attention

            In addition to memory, many of the group members had problems when it came to attention. Paying attention to detail and safety was a constant concern. When needed, some group members tried to cut wood using a knife, inflicted some nasty wounds on their fingers by cutting it. One member even cuts his finger to the bone and needed medical attention on the spot, and through makeshift bandages and cleaning; he escaped further injury and infection. Attention to detail took a significant hit when it came to operating under stress and exhaustion.

Effects of reasoning

            During survival, reasoning abilities were hard to use due to stress. Some members of the groups reasoning skills were better some were worse as well as difficult to manage for a positive outcome. No better time to watch the effects that stress had on us than when it came time to work as a team. Fights and arguments broke out, some thought they had better ideas than others did and through the heightened stress, it seemed like reasoning abilities gave way to irrational behavior.

            Awareness. Awareness also took a hit in the context of the people not being aware of the dangers or potentially lifesaving resources around them and so, some of the group members became injured by natural debris or merely missing sources of water or food. In addition to the outward awareness, stress also affected the awareness of inner signs of distress, such as heat exhaustion or hypothermia, and these members failed to take action until someone pointed the problems out and gave assistance.

            Thinking. Thinking and the processing of information became a chore, many times group members were overheard saying “wait, let me think” or, “I am so tired I can’t even think anymore,” or the more aggressive tone of, “shut up! So I can think!” Thinking and processing of information became difficult under these stressful and anxiety-generating circumstances. The most basic thinking skill such as planning became at times an energy consuming psychological battle.

Sun Tzu (1910) wrote:

                        “it is said that if you know your enemies [crisis] and know yourself, you will not                               be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but you know                                       yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemy                                     [environment] and do not know yourself, you will lose every single battle”.

            When it comes to survival and security Sun Tzu’s words are wisdom for the ages, and those that heed these words have a better chance of getting out alive.

Maslow’s Physiological needs of survival

            We know the physiological outcome of lack of water and not getting enough hydration, but what about the psychological impact of not having water. Living things need water to survive pure and simple, both the body and brain need water to continue to work efficiently. Without water, motivation breaks down due to exhaustion and behavior become sluggish. Motivation to seek other life-sustaining needs becomes last on survival needs list as I explored the behavior of the group in need of supplies.

            Although one would assume from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that there is an order of needs from step one, step two, and so on. Realistically, there was no order in the post-devastation and crisis event. We took advantage of the first opportunity that came along, and in our survival situation, the first survival opportunity that presented itself was a shelter.

 Surviving, Security and the crisis

            Maslow states that physiological needs are the foremost of all human needs (Maslow, 1943). In our experience in the crisis, this meant that people who lost everything in life and now find themselves with nothing as is the case following the devastation in our case, being homeless or shelterless. It will be highly likely that the physiological need will be the major issue that a person will dwell on. All other needs such as love and pleasure become non-existent or are left last on the list of must-haves, and food and water become the first and foremost of needs (Maslow, 1943).

            Within our context of having to survive, that was indeed the case to some degree. However, we did find that hunger and thirst were not the first of our needs since the harsh environment of cold nights and hot days were more of a threat to us at that moment, versus lack of water or food. The theory applied once we were in a shelter discussed later in this research.

Part 5. Priority 1, the need for shelter .To be continued...