The fear (& myth) of lawlessness in Corona crisis

When we moved to Austin, I had a client who told me ‘Owning guns in Texas is not a right, it’s an obligation’. It made me laugh. But he wasn’t joking. As I got to know him better (he was a great guy b.t.w.) I learned that his motivations ran deeper. He believed that at some point, society would face a major crisis (like a pandemic) and laws would crumble, people would turn on each other and it would be every person for themselves. I’ve learned during the Corona virus that it’s not just him who has this fear, it’s in the back of many people’s minds.

In the last four weeks I’ve been reading the research on how individuals and groups actually react in a crisis and it turns out that this topic of panic and lawlessness has been deeply studied. 

While Hollywood loves to tell us that a societal crisis will lead to anarchy, the research consistently shows that the opposite happens. People don’t start looting, they start helping. Rather than an increase in ‘anti-social’ behaviors, societies experience a surge in ‘pro-social’ behaviors - actions intended to help others without expectation of reward. People begin by helping their family and friends and then extend this out to the greater community. 

This is what we saw on 9/11 as pointed out by Dr. Lee Clarke, a leading research on crisis and disasters, “9/11 was the largest waterborne evacuation in the history of the United States. A half a million people evacuated Lower Manhattan by water and there was no plan for it. People in barges, sailboats and ferries with no instructions pulled into the port after seeing those buildings on fire. If you're out in the water in a pleasure craft and you see those buildings on fire, in a strictly rational sense, you should head to New Jersey. Instead people went into potential danger and rescued strangers. That's (pro) social.”

Covid-19 is frightening, and we should all be concerned, but concerned about the virus, not about each other. Lawlessness does not increase in a crisis, it declines. As this event intensifies (and it will), you can count on my friend in Texas and strangers all around the world to feel an enduring urge to help, not hurt each other.

It is one of the most enduring myths of disaster research that society breaks down in a crisis. Don't believe it. We are hardwired to help. We feel it not just as a choice, but as an obligation.

I am summarizing the research on how: individuals and groups react in a crisis and what the most effective leaders do in response. Over the next month I will share posts on what to expect and what to do as this event unfolds. You can sign up to receive them here – https://www.nicholaspetrie.com/blog-1