Safety measures in crowded places. Behavior in a crowd Rules for safe behavior in a moving crowd

Introduction

§1. Crowd concept

§2. Crowd types

§3. How to stay safe in a crowd

Conclusion

References

Introduction

In the 20th century, the role of the crowd in all spheres of social life increased significantly. This is primarily due to the concentration of people. There has been an unprecedented increase in population concentration throughout the world. Nowadays we find ourselves in the center of the densest crowds every day: on buses, subways, in large stores. in city markets. This cannot but affect our behavior. In past centuries, most people rarely encountered such crowds. The 19th-century French psychologist G. Le Bon wrote: “The century we are entering will probably be the era of the crowd.” Mass processions, rallies, and street concerts often end tragically. The experience accumulated by life safety specialists allows us to give some recommendations to participants in such events.

The development of television and advertising has created powerful means of manipulating the behavior of millions of people at once. They can simultaneously receive information that pushes them to take the same type of actions and become the cause of irrational behavior. Irrational behavior is the opposite of purposeful behavior. If the first is characterized by linking goals with conscious interests, constructing an action plan based on calculating the balance of possible achievements and costs, then irrational behavior lacks this. It is based on psychological mechanisms that are only indirectly related to sober calculation.

In everyday life, a crowd is understood as something amphora and chaotic. In psychology, on the contrary, a crowd is interpreted as something opposed to a random gathering of people. Recently, it has become common to view the crowd as a special living organism. His cells are separate individuals, thinking, independent individuals... Until they fall into the crowd! Like a fantastic alien animal, these “cells” either alternately gather together, and then a living organism of the crowd is formed, or they scatter, and this organism ceases to exist.

§1. Crowd concept

In everyday language, “a crowd is a large number of people present at the same time in the same place. Although even intuitively we would not call this word a marching army unit or soldiers storming a fortified point in an organized manner, an audience gathered at a conservatory for a symphony orchestra, etc. Terminologically, it is not entirely correct to call passers-by on a crowded city street a crowd. If the situation develops according to one of the attractive, dramatic and even catastrophic scenarios, a special socio-psychological phenomenon may arise, which, despite all the diversity of its forms, has common features that distinguish the crowd from organized forms of social behavior.

A crowd is a collection of people who are not united by common goals and a single organizational and role structure, but are connected by a common center of attention and emotional state.

In this case, a “common” goal is considered to be such a goal, the achievement of which by each of the participants in the interaction positively depends on the achievement of it by other participants; the presence of such a goal creates a precondition for cooperation. If everyone's goal is achieved regardless of whether others achieve it or not, then there is no or minimal interaction. Finally, if the dependence of the subjects’ achievement of the same goal is negative, a precondition for conflict arises.

In a crowd, people's goals are always the same, but usually they are not consciously common, and when they intersect, acute negative interaction occurs. For example, in a mass panic, everyone passionately wants to save themselves; in a money-grubbing crowd, everyone strives to get something, and everyone is a hindrance to each other.

In our case, a crowd is sometimes able to structure itself and acquire group quality, while an organized group can degrade into a crowd. Sometimes a situational community combines such heterogeneous properties that it cannot be unambiguously assigned to one category or another and occupies an intermediate position “group-aggregate”. For example, a very well-organized mass demonstration bears in equal measure the characteristics of a group and a crowd. While normative relations prevail in the group, it smoothes out the extremist sentiments of its members and makes more informed decisions; when the characteristics of the crowd begin to predominate, thinking becomes radicalized.

G. Lebon pointed out that parliaments often turn into crowds, and we still see this on TV. The Russian proverb: “A man is smart, but the world is a fool” - conveys the same idea about the loss of common sense by an individual among the masses.

In practical terms, the most important property of a crowd is transformability: once a crowd has formed, it can relatively easily transform from one type to another.

Transformations can occur spontaneously, that is, without anyone's conscious intention, but they can be provoked intentionally. Techniques for manipulating a crowd for one purpose or another are mostly based on the use of the property of transformability.

The mechanism of infection plays an important role in the spread of behaviors. Under certain conditions, people can become infected with someone else's mood, borrowing corresponding forms of behavior. But not all people are susceptible to infection. Gustav Le Bon wrote: “Social contagion is most characteristic of people with suppressed will and leads to the consolidation of traditions by bringing these people into a certain mental state through emotional empathy.”

A crowd is a group of people caught up in one emotion, which can be either negative or positive. In a crowd, the number of people goes into a qualitatively different mental and intellectual state. It is not difficult to see how different an isolated individual is from an individual in a crowd. An individual, under certain conditions, feels, thinks and acts differently than might be expected, and this condition is joining the human crowd.

It is very difficult to determine the reasons for the difference between a person's behavior in a crowd and individually. In addition to the openly recognized reasons that guide our actions, there are also secret reasons that we do not admit, but behind these secret ones there are even more secret ones, because they are unknown to us. Most of our daily actions are caused by something hidden that eludes our observation. behavior crowd crowd emotional

In the masses, according to Le Bon, the individual achievements of people are erased, and thanks to this their originality disappears. The racial unconscious comes to the fore, the heterogeneous is buried in the homogeneous. In this way, the average characteristic of the individuals making up the mass would be realized. People in a crowd can do something that they themselves, and even more so, those around them did not expect from them. But if individuals in a mass are connected into one whole, then there must be something that connects them with each other, and this connecting link can be exactly what is characteristic of the mass:

* The crowd is anonymous. Here the personality dissolves. There are no names or social statuses here. Here there is only a “citizen in a hat”, “a woman with a bag”, etc. In such a crowd of people, it is unlikely that anyone will notice what an individual does, will not “catch him by the hand” and will never be able to bring him to justice.

* In the crowd, the effect of the mechanism of socio-psychological infection sharply intensifies. Acting under the influence of socio-psychological infection, the individual “easily sacrifices his personal and collective interests. In a crowd, a person physically does not have enough time to stop and at least think a little about what he is doing. Therefore, he only looks on people like themselves and doesn’t find anything smarter than repeating after them.

* In the crowd, the mechanism of suggestion by leaders and mutual suggestion of people intensifies. Only a few have a strong enough psyche to resist this suggestion. But the masses are capable, under the influence of suggestion, of actions of a higher order: renunciation, selflessness, devotion to an ideal.

Gustav Le Bon noted that one of the characteristic features of the crowd is its low intellectual level. It follows from this that a cultured and educated person, falling into a crowd, becomes an instinctive being. Le Bon writes that he has a tendency to arbitrariness, violence, and ferocity. The barbarian, the primitive man, comes to the fore; the individual descends several steps lower on the ladder of civilization. Other traits of a crowd include impulsiveness, variability and irritability. The mass is controlled almost entirely by the unconscious sphere. The impulses that the mass obeys can be completely different. They can be noble or cruel, heroic or cowardly. But in any case, they are so strong that they even defeat the instinct of self-preservation. The mass does not do anything intentionally, even if it wants something, it does not last long. The crowd cannot tolerate any delay between desire and its implementation. She has a sense of omnipotence; for a person in a crowd, the concept of the impossible disappears. On top of everything else, the crowd is easily influenced, it is gullible and completely devoid of criticism. The crowd knows no doubts or hesitations. Therefore, in order to captivate the masses, one must abuse strong expressions, exaggerate, assert, and never try to prove something with reasoning. The crowd has never known a thirst for truth. She demands illusions that she cannot give up. Further, the mass is truly subject to the power of the word, which can cause a storm or, conversely, calm it. “Neither reason nor conviction is able to fight against well-known words and well-known formulas. They are pronounced before the crowd with reverence, and immediately the expression on their faces becomes respectful and their heads bow.”

Once living beings gather in a certain number, they want to obey the leader. This happens instinctively, and it does not matter whether it is a herd of animals or a crowd of people. The masses are an obedient herd that cannot live without a ruler. The thirst for obedience is so strong in her that she submits to the one who declares himself her master. But if there is a need among the masses for a leader, then he must still have the appropriate personal qualities. Le Bon believes that leaders exert their influence through ideas that they themselves are fanatical about. Prestige also plays a big role. Prestige is a kind of dominance of an individual, idea or thing. There is a distinction between acquired and personal prestige. The first is formed by name, wealth, reputation. In all cases it has roots in the past. Personal prestige is possessed by a few individuals who, thanks to it, become leaders. Such people are obeyed under the influence of magnetic charm.

§2. Crowd types

A large number of observations and special studies made it possible to identify four main types of crowds with corresponding subspecies.

An occasional crowd is a gathering of people who have gathered to watch an unexpected event. This is the most common of situations of spontaneous mass behavior.

A conventional crowd gathers on the occasion of a pre-announced event: a football match, a rally, etc. Here, directed interest already prevails, and people for the time being (as long as the crowd retains the quality of conventionality) are ready to follow certain conditions (conventions).

An expressive crowd, rhythmically expressing one or another emotion: joy, enthusiasm, indignation, etc. We are talking about people chanting a slogan at a rally or demonstration, loudly supporting their favorite team or branding a referee at the stadium. In some cases, the process of rhythmic expression of emotions can take a particularly intense form, and then a special phenomenon of mass ecstasy arises.

An ecstatic crowd is an extreme form of an expressive crowd. In ecstasy, people selflessly torture themselves with chains at a religious holiday, drive themselves to the point of insanity to the increasing rhythm of frantic prayer in a sect or in a dance, tear their clothes to the rhythm of rock.

An active crowd is the most politically significant and dangerous type of spontaneous behavior. Within its framework, several subspecies can be distinguished.

Aggressive crowd. The emotional dominant of which (rage, malice), just like the direction of action, is transparently expressed in the title.

The panicked crowd is seized with horror, everyone's desire to avoid real or imaginary danger. Panic behavior is not only not usually life-saving, but very often becomes a more dangerous factor than what provoked it.

An acquisitive crowd is people who have entered into an unorganized conflict over the possession of some value. The dominant emotion here becomes greed, the thirst for possession, which is sometimes mixed with fear.

A rebel crowd is similar in a number of ways to an aggressive crowd, but differs from it in the socially just nature of its indignation. If there is an active conscious link, an organized element can be introduced into the crowd, and then it turns into a cohesive group.

Next is the spinning reaction. The internal tension of individuals, excited by the event, prompts them to talk with each other. They convey information by retelling what they heard, expressing their opinions, sharing observations. During the whirling process, the excitement of those present increases, and through the conversations and shouts of the crowd, an image is formed as a product of group creativity.

The last phase is the formation of an active crowd. At this stage, the group is already predisposed to joint immediate action. The emergence of leaders stimulates its actions in a general direction.

§3. How to stay safe in a crowd

Here are some helpful tips. A crowd is a dangerous formation. No wonder there is an expression: “There is a beast called the crowd.” This beast is wild, merciless, capricious, unpredictable and cruel. You should adhere to certain “safety precautions” if you are not lucky enough to avoid the crowd.

When planning a rally, it is necessary, first of all, to find out whether it is sanctioned by the authorities. If this event is prohibited, it will turn into an extreme situation. The following recommendations must be followed:

Do not take children with you;

Do not take sharp, piercing or cutting objects with you;

Do not wear a tie or scarf, do without bags, briefcases, folders;

Shoes must be without laces and low heels;

Wear clothes made of strong fabric;

It is advisable to remove various symbols from yourself;

Take with you a document proving your identity.

To implement a set of security measures, it is necessary to constantly predict the situation. Be aware of crowd movement, especially around the edges and around stages and stands. It is necessary to know whether a procession or breakthrough is expected and in which direction, where the police are stationed, where the most dangerous areas are (glass windows, barriers, fences, bridges, etc.).

You should not approach aggressive groups. Try to stay closer to the outskirts - it is much safer there, people are less susceptible to the “crowd effect” and the relationships between them are more reasonable.

You should not be near garbage containers, trash cans, cardboard boxes, baby strollers, suitcases, unattended bags, and do not step on bags or bags.

Events such as the first stone in a shop window and first blood are important to the crowd. This takes the mob to a whole new level of danger, where collective irresponsibility turns each member into a ruthless criminal. You need to leave such a crowd immediately.

In order to survive in the crowd, you should not go against its movement. If you are carried away by a crowd, avoid the center and its edges. Avoid close proximity to shop windows, fences, poles, trees - you may be pressed against them and crushed. Do not cling to anything with your hands, otherwise they may break.

If you have a bag, umbrella, etc. with you, throw them away. If you drop something, don't try to pick it up - life is more valuable.

In dense crowds there is a danger of crushing. It is recommended to clasp your hands in a lock, placing it at chest level - this way the diaphragm will be protected. You can also tensely bend your arms and press them to the body, while pushes from behind are received by the elbows, and the diaphragm is protected by tense arms.

If the police, riot police have begun an operation to disperse the crowd, or a skirmish has occurred, and you find yourself nearby, do not lose control of yourself. Do not make sudden movements, do not shout, do not run - otherwise you may be mistaken for a trespasser or instigator of disorder. Demonstrate peace and calm with your entire appearance. If you are detained, do not immediately try to prove that it was done illegally, do not set law enforcement officers against you.

During the dispersal of the crowd, panic is possible, which could begin due to a terrorist act. Do not rush headlong into this, but, if possible, soberly assess the situation and make the right decision. Keep a sober mind and a clear head.

If you want to get out of the crowd, but it is too dense or will not let you out, try to do this by pretending to be drunk, sick, mentally unstable, etc.

Immediately try to get out of a crowd of people if you feel that it is made up of people who are “tipsy.” They often look for a reason to exercise in the crowd, and you can become the object of their close attention, and then the center of a brawl.

Don't be in crowds or crowded places for long periods of time. The crowd is getting excited, and that excitement is sure to rub off on you. You will become a cell of the crowd, brainless and weak-willed. Your rationality and mind will be blocked. In a zombified form, you can do things that you yourself won’t believe.

In any case, self-control, sober calculation and forecasting are the three pillars on which your safety rests.

Conclusion

In conclusion, let us once again draw attention to the fact that an individual, under a certain condition, feels, thinks and acts differently than one might expect, and this condition is joining the human crowd, which has acquired the quality of a psychological mass. The question of changing human behavior in a crowd and the characteristics of crowd behavior still remains important and interesting. Mass gives a person the impression of unlimited power. She takes the place of the entire human society, which is the bearer of authority. It is dangerous for a person to be in conflict with the crowd and, on the contrary, it is safe to follow the examples around him and, if necessary, even “howl like a wolf.” Obeying the new authority, you need to turn off your previous “conscience” from your activities. Therefore, in general, this is not the case It is already amazing when we hear that an individual in a crowd does things that he would turn away from in his ordinary living conditions. There are often cases when a person, having calmed down and regained the ability for sober analysis, explains what happened simply: “The demon got me confused” or “Something came over me...”

We examined four main types of crowds with corresponding subtypes: occasional, conventional, expressive (ecstatic), active (aggressive, panicky, acquisitive, rebellious). Phases of crowd formation. Finally, the rules for safe behavior in crowds are indicated.

References

1. Esenovsky V. How to protect yourself in a crowd // Fundamentals of life safety. - 2002, No. 11, p. 33-34.

Melnikov L. Paradoxes of crowd psychology // Applied psychology and psychoanalysis. - 1999, No. 1, pp. 5-11.

Melnikov L. A beast called the crowd // Club “Third Eye”. - 1997. No. 4

Nazaretyan A.P. Aggressive crowd, mass panic, rumors. Lectures on social and political psychology. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2004. - 192 p.

There are about a hundred shark attacks on humans every year; about 10% of these cases are fatal. How to avoid being attacked by a sea predator? It’s as simple as that – don’t swim in prohibited places. The human crowd is the same as sharks. Over the past hundred years, more than thirty episodes of mass stampedes have been recorded, in which from thirty to one and a half thousand people died at a time. Do you want to survive in the crowd? Just stay away.

It’s easy to give advice, but it’s almost impossible to follow the advice. We do not live in the steppe or forest, but in the city, and willy-nilly we find ourselves in crowds every day at least twice - in the morning and evening rush hours. A metro platform, a bus stop, a street, any concert or sports match - we are constantly surrounded by many people united by one goal - to be here and right now.

The crowd itself - static, waiting for something, or dynamic, moving in a certain direction - is, in principle, not very dangerous. But any threat (real or simply loudly voiced - “Fire!”, “Bomb!”, “They are coming!”, “There is not enough for everyone!”) can instantly change the situation. A calm crowd instantly becomes aggressive, a static crowd becomes panicky, and a deliberately expressive crowd becomes almost revolutionary.

Between 1809 and 2015, there were about forty stampedes worldwide with more than 100 deaths and four with close to 1,000 victims. 1. May 18, 1896: stampede on Khodynka Field (Moscow). Deaths: from 1389 to 2000 people. During the public festivities on the occasion of the coronation of Nicholas II, more than 500,000 people gathered. When a rumor spread in the crowd that there weren’t enough royal gifts (gingerbreads, mugs, sweets) for everyone, a stampede began; the distributors, fearing for their stalls, began throwing gifts into the crowd, which only worsened the situation.

Crowd architecture

Before moving on to the dangers threatening in a crowd, let's understand its architecture and psychology. If you look at the crowd from a bird's eye view - for example, from a camera on a quadcopter - three main elements can be identified:

1) the core of the crowd is the place where the number of people per square meter reaches its maximum. Most often there is one core - a concert stage, a political platform, the edge of a platform; sometimes there are several cores in a crowd - multiple narrow passages, stadium ticket offices, security checkpoints;

2) the middle zone - there is already a crowd, but not yet so dense as to be dangerous; the movement of people in the middle zone mainly occurs towards the core;

3) the periphery, the outskirts of the crowd, where people are just about to join it - or are trying to get out of the crowd.

This division, of course, is conditional - in a confined space, for example during a fire in a nightclub, the core can occupy the entire available area.

2. March 6, 1953: stampede at Stalin’s funeral (Moscow). Killed: from 100 to 2000 people. The stampede occurred during a funeral in the Trubnaya Square area. All information about it is still strictly classified, so the exact number of deaths is impossible to establish.

It would seem that the safest place is the periphery, but this is partly misleading. If the crowd is limited by buildings, cars, fences, and landscape features, then people located in a relatively sparse periphery can instantly find themselves crushed by all of the above. The core of the crowd is capable of moving at a fairly high speed; Here you are standing calmly against the wall, but now you are being pressed against this wall by a couple of thousand people at once. Therefore, if you happen to find yourself in a crowd, stick to the middle lane - there is more room for maneuver.

Principles of Survival

When moving in a crowd, do not go against the flow of people, this is a pointless idea. Adhering to the general direction of movement, take it a little to the side, towards the exit, if there is one. Don't push people aside, they have nowhere to move. It's better to change places with them. While the crowd is relatively calm, use verbal means: “excuse me, please allow me to pass.” If this does not help, move on to the manual ones, grab the person by the clothes and pull him towards you, at the same time taking his place, not forgetting to apologize intensively.

3. October 20, 1982: tragedy at Luzhniki (Moscow). Killed: 66 people. The largest sports crush in the USSR occurred at the 1/16 UEFA Cup match between Spartak and the Dutch Haarlem. The tragedy happened at the end of the match due to poor organization of the exit from the crowded stadium.

If you find yourself in a crowd not alone - but, for example, with a child, a woman, a friend - there is an unpleasant prospect of being separated from each other. No amount of “give me your hand” will help. A small child - in your arms. If he is old enough, put him in the “reserve parachute” position: put him on his chest, let him wrap his arms around your neck and his legs around your waist. We press an adult to your back, with one hand he holds you by the belt buckle or clothing in the abdomen area, with one hand you control and strengthen this grip. Equality when leaving the crowd is canceled; one leads, the other follows, pressing close. This is how bodyguards evacuate the protected person. If you can’t send your friend behind your back, at least lock your elbows.

Before you try to get out of the crowd, or better yet, before you get into it, button up your outerwear and all pockets, tuck a scarf under your jacket, remove the hood, lace up your boots. Hide anything that you can get caught on or get grabbed.

4. July 2, 1990: tragedy in the pedestrian tunnel in Mecca. Deaths: 1425 people. The largest crush during the traditional Hajj. No hajj is complete without casualties, but 1990 broke all records. In 45-degree heat, several thousand pilgrims streamed into the cooled tunnel linking Mecca with the pilgrim camp at Mina. The tunnel's capacity was exceeded five times, and many suffocated due to the fans stopping.

The main thing is do not panic under any circumstances, they will do this without your participation. While possible, try to be as polite as possible and do not escalate the situation. In the crowd, the mood changes towards worsening - hit, run, save! - happens very quickly. It’s not architecture that’s at work here, but psychology.

Psychological effect

All researchers, starting with Gustave Le Bon, the author of the fundamental works “Psychology of Peoples and Masses” and “Psychology of Crowds,” reduce the psychology of the crowd to three phenomena: homogeneity, emotionality and irrationality.

Once many people gather in one place, a contagion effect occurs - the mood or aspirations of a few people very quickly spread to everyone else, like an infectious disease. The mechanical spread of mood also occurs in everyday life - start yawning, and those around you will pick it up. In a crowd this happens much faster and stronger. The effect of contagion is best formulated by the phrase “everyone ran - and I ran.” Man is a pack animal, and the “follow everyone else” algorithm is evolutionarily embedded in our survival instincts.

Sometimes this can work to your advantage. This is how Hakob Nazaretyan describes the rational use of the contagion effect in the book “Psychology of Spontaneous Mass Behavior”: “Here is a textbook case from the pre-war life of Europe. In 1938, a small fire broke out in the stands of the Paris National Velodrome at the end of the competition. The staff managed to quickly contain the fire, but ten thousand spectators were already moving towards the only exit with excessive energy. The situation threatened to become deadly. By luck, there were two psychologists in the crowd who were able to find their bearings in time and began loudly chanting: “Ne-pousse-pas!” (“Don’t push!” - Don’t push!). The rhythm was picked up by those around him, and it went through the crowd like a wave. Within minutes, thousands of people were chanting this phrase in unison; the crowd turned expressive, fear and fuss gave way to general enthusiasm, and everyone safely left the stands.”

5. May 30, 1999: tragedy on Nemiga (Minsk). Killed: 53 people. During the Minsk beer festival, heavy rain and hail began to fall, and the crowd rushed into a narrow underground passage. There was a crush on the descent; Most of the dead were young people between 14 and 20 years old.

Alas, people are most quickly infected by fear and anger. As soon as someone yelled “Run!” - everyone will run, not fully realizing where and why. Therefore, it is very dangerous to try to climb somewhere higher in a crowd - on a lamppost or the roof of a car. Almost certainly others will immediately climb after you, there won’t be enough space for everyone, and you will fall. But getting under the truck is a good idea, they won’t push you out of there.

Unfortunately, the crowd as a single organism does not have intelligence, and herd behavior can easily lead people to death. When a crowd panics or becomes aggressive, the masses of people begin to move in a manner that most closely resembles the flow of water - fast and along the path of least resistance. When meeting an obstacle, the crowd either splits up, going around it, or tries to rush over it, as a result of which a stampede begins.

6. November 22, 2010: stampede in Phnom Penh. Deaths: 456 people. During the closing of the traditional Cambodian holiday, Water Day, several thousand people gathered on the narrow bridge over the Tonle Sap River. Most of the dead drowned, being thrown from the bridge as a result of the stampede.

Don't fall!

There are two main dangers in a crowd - being crushed or trampled. Both of these threats involve bodily harm of varying severity - from a concussion and multiple bruises to a spinal fracture, pneumothorax and internal hemorrhages leading to exitus letalis.

The first danger is that they will run you over! - in medical language it is called compression asphyxia, or, simply put, suffocation from compression. Unlike classic suffocation associated with damage to the respiratory tract, with strong compression from all sides, a person’s blood circulation is disrupted, venous blood does not enter the lungs, the walls of blood vessels become thinner, and pulmonary edema begins; rib fractures and ruptures of internal organs are also possible. According to statistics, more people die from compression strangulation in a crowd than from any other injury.

7. January 1, 2013: stampede at the Houphouet-Boigny stadium (Abidjan). Killed: 61 people. A crush occurred at the exit from the stadium, where New Year's festivities and fireworks were being launched. Most of the dead are children.

How to escape from this? If you are squeezed so tightly on all sides that it becomes difficult to breathe, do not try to push those around you and win living space for yourself - it won’t work anyway. It’s better to take your right lapel with your left hand (or vice versa, this is not important) and put your elbow forward. Now there is ten centimeters of free space in front of your chest, you can breathe calmly and look for ways to get out of here as quickly as possible.

The second danger is that they will trample you! — connected, of course, with falling in the crowd. Falling in a running crowd is the worst thing that can happen. Panicking or aggressive people will run straight at you, trampling you into the ground. Even if someone decides to stop, he won’t succeed, the crowd is stronger.

Once you fall, assume the fetal position. They turned over on their backs and hid their spine and kidneys. The chin is pressed tightly to the chest so as not to hit the back of the head on the asphalt. The hands are folded in front of the face, the knees are drawn up to the elbows, and the legs are tightly squeezed to cover the groin. You won't be able to lie there for long, so you have to get up.

In order to stand in a crowd, you need to grab the nearest leg of any person walking on you or next to you and begin to very quickly and aggressively climb up that leg, taking into account attempts to shake you back. Climb up like a monkey up a tree. It is quite possible that this person will fall in the process. Let's hope that he also read this article and will be able to stand up.

Swim with sharks

If you know you're going to be in a crowd and suspect it won't end well, prepare in advance. Tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return; specify the time after which they should start looking for you. Take your passport or a photocopy of it with you. On a separate piece of cardboard included in your passport, indicate the telephone numbers of your closest relatives, your blood type, and any allergies to medications. After the mass stampede, emergency hospitals will be overloaded, and you will at least make the doctors' work a little easier. Before entering the crowd, study the area thoroughly. Where will everyone run? Where might the danger come from? Where can you hide and wait out? Where should you go?

And - most importantly - once you find yourself in a crowd, do not become part of it. Don't give in to the general mood. Avoid the contagion effect. Don't chant or chant anything. Maintain mental hygiene. It's as easy to pick up on mass hysteria as it is on a catchy song. Constantly repeat to yourself - you need to get out of here, it’s too dangerous here!

Remember: a crowd is a place of increased danger. What does a real ninja do when he feels danger? A real ninja doesn't leave home. Take care of yourself!

Now many cities, having acquired the status of a million-plus population, receive additional opportunities such as participation in a larger number of federal programs. But, with the growth of city residents, the risk of a crowd and getting caught in it increases noticeably. Various processions, festive events, and festivals involve gatherings of large numbers of people, which form a crowd. This phenomenon – the “crowd” – is recognized by sociologists as the most uncontrollable and dangerous for each of its participants.

How to have fun and not feel fear during large events, how to protect yourself and what actions will help avoid injuries, we will consider in this article.

First of all, you need to understand:

what is a crowd?
crowd types;
safety in the crowd.

Types of crowds and how to identify them

In sociology, this phenomenon is understood as a large gathering of people who are in close proximity to each other. It is characterized by the lack of a common goal, structure and is short-term in nature. A spontaneous group of people, as a rule, arises suddenly.

Its danger lies in the fact that from the moment of its emergence the crowd begins to coexist in some kind of separate and independent life, completely disregarding the desires and goals of its involuntary participants. Ensuring safety in a crowd depends on its type.

The following stand out:

Spontaneous, which was formed by chance, and it does not have any leader or leader (for example, a queue, indoors)
Slave. Characterized by the presence of a pre-selected person who controls it (rallies, processions)
Passive or "herd". There is no strong emotional coloring, he behaves calmly, but has high potential. If suddenly some event occurs within the crowd that can emotionally involve a large number of people, then it will transform into the following form.
Aggressive or active. The most dangerous and unpredictable phenomenon. Difficult to control. Causes significant casualties and injuries.

In order to avoid injury and involvement in unsightly activities, you need to know and adhere to crowd safety rules.

The influence of the crowd on the consciousness and behavior of an individual should not be underestimated. In a large crowd of people, the personality itself ceases to exist; it picks up common emotions, moods and actions. In psychology, there are many effects of collective behavior, for example, the effect of imitation, conformity, group egoism.

Rules of conduct

If you go to an officially unauthorized rally, then know that this is an offense. Basic principles: do not take children with you, as there is a high probability that you will simply lose them in the crowd, and do not go there alone. Close people or friends will be able to help you in case of a dangerous situation.

How to protect yourself if you are planning to attend a mass event?

First, choose the right clothes. Do not wear items of clothing that can be easily grabbed: scarf, tie. Also leave long, hanging jewelry at home (beads, bracelets, piercings, earrings). Clothes should be tight-fitting without laces or ties. Comfortable shoes, preferably sports ones. However, be careful with your laces. They should not dangle or be too long.
Piercing and cutting objects will be unnecessary. A glass bottle can also cause accidental injury. Remove any symbolism from yourself.
The identification document must be in the inside pocket, not in the bag.
Keep your arms relaxed and at your side, and take them out of your pockets.
Pin up long hair or hide it under a hat.

What to do if you find yourself inside a crowd?

In crowds, try to stay away from obese and/or tall people.
Once you get into a crowd, try to go in the same direction with it, even if you are being carried in the completely opposite direction. Slowly the crowd will begin to dissipate, the force of the flow will weaken, and you will be able to get out of it. Try not to get into its center, and it is also dangerous to be on its outskirts.
Always try to find a way out of the crowd. Sometimes there are empty corridors, don't miss them.
Do not try to grab something with your hands, as the likelihood of breaking your limbs is very high. Button up your outerwear
Stay on your feet. Do not try to pick up fallen things!!!
If you fall, do not scream - they will not hear you. Group yourself, pull your legs towards your stomach and cover your head and neck with your arms. In this position you will protect the most important parts of the body. Try to rest your toes on the ground at least a little and get up with a jerk.
Don't let them surround you too tightly. To do this, keep your arms bent at the elbows and spread them slightly to the sides. Free yourself from any burden and objects in your pockets (keys, lighter). When the flow of people increases, they will dig into your body.
If you do find yourself in a strong crush, you need to protect yourself from the sides. Bend your elbows and press them towards you. Tighten all your muscles and move forward in this position.
Stay calm, even if panic begins to arise. Don't walk with your eyes downcast. This corresponds to sacrifice. Better use your peripheral vision.

Infographics of the Ministry of Emergency Situations: Crowds and safety rules

Lifehack from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations

When ensuring safety in a crowd with a child, you should adhere to the following rules:

The best option would be to put it on your neck and hold it tightly by the legs.
If there are several adults, then they can stand around the child facing each other and move forward like that. The child will be like in a protective capsule.
The child should always be in front of you, and not behind you, walking by the hand.

However, such a situation can be avoided. There is no need to join the protesters for the sake of curiosity. Try to stay away from large crowds of people, even on holidays. Remember that in a crowd you may come under police action. Do not resist, proving your innocence. Follow all their requirements. In such a situation, the police have absolutely no time to understand and find out who is who.

The main enemy in extreme conditions is panic. Sometimes a few seconds of a sober look at the situation that has arisen is enough to find a way out and save yourself.

Crowd indoors or outdoors

The temple in northern India has grown to 145 people.

The emergence of panic or general spontaneous aggression, the cause of which may be general hysteria provoked by mass protest, or fear caused by a fire or other disaster; or an overly emotional football match and much more, can turn a large number of ordinary people into a crowd that is capable of sweeping away and destroying everything in its path. Any mass event is a source of increased danger. For example, recently the organizers of most rock concerts have been warning about this right on the entrance tickets.

Social psychologists highlight several simple recommendations on how to avoid becoming a victim of the crowd: do not go against the crowd; if necessary, cross the crowd (cross it tangentially or diagonally, while following the movement of the checkers piece); do not look into the eyes of people in the crowd and do not move with your eyes down on the ground (moving with your eyes down is the movement of the victim). The gaze should be directed just below the face, including the so-called peripheral vision. This view will allow you to monitor the whole situation without fixating on individual details.

Experts distinguish between two types of crowd behavior: outdoors and indoors. In many ways they agree, but there are nuances. In a confined space (at a concert or other public event), when danger arises, people suddenly begin to simultaneously seek salvation, i.e., they want to get out of this room. In the vast majority of cases, this happens chaotically. People who are far from exits become especially active. They begin to push with all their might on those in front, and as a result, most of the “front” find themselves pressed against the walls. A stampede ensues, as a result of which, in a very real sense, many people can find themselves (and find themselves) crushed between a stone wall and a wall of human bodies.

Experts advise memorizing the exit points and the paths to them, because those who know where the nearest exit is have a better chance of being saved. It is especially important to rush to him before the crowd begins to move. However, when the crowd has gained full strength, attempting to move through its thickness can have the most negative consequences. Experts believe that the most reasonable thing to do is to wait until the main flow subsides. In their opinion, rushing into narrow passages when the crowd has already gained strength is permissible only in the event of a fire, which also spreads very quickly, or when, as a result of extensive combustion of plastic materials and coatings in the hall, a “gas chamber” is formed.

You have to watch out for walls and narrow doorways. To do this you need to try:
- get into the “main stream”, which, however, is also unsafe;
- go back a little, where it’s still more free;
- try to lie on top of the stream of people and, rolling or crawling on your bellies, make your way to a less crowded place. This is especially true when saving children: often this technique is the only hope. A child simply cannot survive in a maddened crowd of adults, if only because of his size. Therefore, if you have the strength, it is better to put the child on your shoulders and move on. Or two adults can, facing each other, create a kind of protective capsule for the child from their bodies and hands.

If it is impossible to wait, then rush into the crowd, but headlong, but at the same time, be sure to empty your pockets as much as possible (even better - completely), since almost any object under enormous pressure in the middle of the crowd can cause serious injury not only to yourself, but and any of the people around you.

It is necessary to take off long, too loose clothes, which are also equipped with metal parts, as well as anything that can put pressure on the neck, i.e. jacket lacing, tie, medallion on a cord, pectoral cross on a chain, any jewelry and costume jewelry. The arms should not be pressed to the body, they should be bent at the elbows, the fists pointing upward, then the arms can protect the chest. You can also clasp your palms in front of your chest.

A street crowd is generally considered not as dangerous as in a confined space. However, psychologists do not agree with this, believing that the street crowd more often acts as a carrier of aggressive moods and that in terms of the number of intentional victims, the street crowd exceeds the crowd in a confined space.

In general, the rules of conduct during mass street gatherings are almost no different from those given above, but still have their own characteristics. The first rule is: Do not join the crowd, no matter how much you want to see the events taking place. If you find yourself in a crowd, let it carry you, but try to get out of it. When a crowd approaches, it is necessary to retreat to side streets and alleys, also using passage yards. Some survival manuals also recommend that, if it is impossible to escape to neighboring streets, use entrances through which you can climb to the roofs of houses as shelter. But the entrances may be closed (which happens most often lately). Then the same manuals recommend breaking the windows of apartments located on the first floors and entering the entrances through them.

If you find yourself in a moving crowd, you must stay away from any walls or ledges. All kinds of metal gratings are especially dangerous in these cases. If the crush has become threatening, immediately, without hesitation, free yourself from any burden, especially your shoulder bag and scarf. Clothing should be comfortable, tightly fitting, preferably a sporty type (the same applies to shoes, which should be tightly laced). On the street, you should stay at the edge of the crowd, and not rush into the thick of things.

While knowing the location of the nearest emergency exits can be useful in an enclosed area, knowing the topography of the area can be just as useful in an open area. There is no need to try to resist the spontaneous movement of the crowd, or cling to walls or lampposts.

You can't stop and try to lift anything. Also, any injury received should not cause a stop. If you fall, try to get back to your feet as quickly as possible. At the same time, do not lean on your hands (they will be crushed or broken). Try to stand on your soles or toes for at least a moment. You need to get up in the direction of the crowd. If you can’t get up, curl up in a ball, protect your head with your forearms, and cover the back of your head with your palms.

If there are still people in the crowd who have not lost their heads and are able to protect children and women, then it is quite possible to organize joint actions and sooner or later get out of the dense crowd. To do this, line up in a wedge, inside which you place children and women, and then, pushing apart the scattered people around you, drift to the side.
You can drift in a crowd like a ship on a river. Assess the direction in advance and move purposefully along it.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

The temple in northern India has grown to 145 people.