CONTRIBUTION OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY FOR UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR DURING FIRE EMERGENCY

Today we have plenty of evidence about people’s reaction in the case of fire. Some reactions are peculiar for the fire emergency. However – in order to understand these reactions – it is important to know the basic principles of individual and group behavior. The main goal of this article is to present results of psychological investigations of basic instincts (anxiety, fear, panic) and results of investigations of group behavior (social facilitation, conformity, altruism, diffusion of responsibility, respect for authority, etc.) and to apply these results on investigation of human behavior during the fire emergency. In short, this article has aim to explain human behavior during the fire emergencies on the basis of main findings of social psychology. Furthermore, the article suggests possible activities – especially in the field of education and training – that may decrease human loses in fires