{"id":18317,"date":"2017-09-13T16:33:59","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T14:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.igmanagement.it\/?p=18317"},"modified":"2023-06-27T10:43:10","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T08:43:10","slug":"managing-emotions-in-emergencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.igmanagement.it\/en\/2017\/09\/13\/managing-emotions-in-emergencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Emotions in Emergencies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Section “PSYCHOLOGY OF EMOTIONS” by Diego Ingrassia – “Managing Emotions in Emergencies <\/em>”
\nfor PSICOLOGIA CONTEMPORANEA – Emergencies<\/strong> –<\/a> n. 261, May-June 2017 – GIUNTI EDITORE <\/a><\/p>\n

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Late afternoon. You are at a table in a bar, in the outdoor area, in the company of some friends of yours. An aperitif like any other, serene, full of goliardia and fun. Suddenly you hear some sirens in the distance, rapidly approaching in your direction. The sound now becomes deafening. They have stopped close to where you are standing, but you can’t see anything yet: you can’t distinguish whether police or police cars have arrived, whether it’s the fire brigade or an ambulance.
\n“What’s going on?” you ask yourself puzzled.
\nThe situation is abnormal, and the intermittent alarm sound you hear immediately makes you alert, attentive, focused.
\nYou stiffen in your chair, falling silent for a few moments in a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.
\nYour attention is exclusively focused. Everything happens automatically, emotions take over.
\nWhy does this happen?
\nThe human body is a highly intelligent biological machine.
\nIt responds to the environment adaptively, to protect itself and thus survive.
\nWhen we are subjected to strong environmental stress, we find in the responses of the sympathetic autonomic nervous system every useful energy resource to cope with a possible danger: the heartbeat accelerates, the breathing rate increases to favour an extra supply of oxygen, and consequently the muscles are ready for action. Everything is very fast, explosive, perfectly coordinated. Neurotransmitters and hormones activate our body simultaneously. We are ready to react.
\nAn attentive observer would notice alterations in our voice, muscle tension and particular facial expressions. Obvious signals, along with very rapid micro-movements that an eye trained and educated through scientific methods of analysis can register precisely.
\nThink of the case when, crossing a pedestrian crossing, a hit-and-run driver drives wildly in our direction and without braking. facial expression of fear, our body can:<\/p>\n