What is Psychology of Disaster Relief
Mar 19, 2021

Reading time 3 min.

September didn’t hold back in the natural disaster department. From Hurricane Harvey’s effects in Houston to Hurricane Irma’s path up the Caribbean and into Florida to a set of earthquakes in Mexico to Hurricane Maria’s devastation in Puerto Rico and elsewhere, it’s been a trying time for those affected. The need for disaster relief is urgent.

As a result, you’ve probably seen a million ways to pitch into the relief efforts. But with so many relief efforts, are people actually donating their own time and money to help out?

Plenty of research in psychology has looked at when and why people donate to charities. Some of that research has looked at disaster relief donations specifically. Although a handful of important factors have emerged, we’ll focus on two: victim blaming and self-help.

Thoughts About the Victims Shape Donations

In 2011, Hanna Zagefka and her colleagues published a set of studies testing people’s willingness to donate to disaster relief efforts. They came upon two important thoughts that people have about the victims…

Personal Responsibility. People are less willing to donate when they think the beneficiaries were responsible for their own situation. For example, when people think that poverty results from the personal attributes of the poor, they’re less likely to donate to related causes. By contrast, of course, people are more willing to donate if they think the problem is out of the victims’ control. Self-Help. People are less willing to donate if it seems that the victims haven’t done anything to help themselves. By contrast, people are more willing to donate if it seems that the beneficiaries have already taken steps to improve their situation.

Natural vs. Humanly Caused Disasters

The implication of the above points is that people would be more willing to donate to natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes than they would to humanly caused disasters.

The researchers tested this idea by having participants read about one of two large-scale crises: the 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean or the 2003 Darfur genocide. Although each was described as killing thousands on people, the former was due to a “big tidal wave” while the latter was “at the hand of a rival ethnic group.”

The results showed that people found victims in Darfur more responsible for their fate and less committed to helping themselves, compared to victims of the Tsunami. As a result, people were less willing to donate.

But there’s a lot that was different between these two crises other than being naturally vs. humanly caused. So the researchers conducted another study in which they invented a hypothetical crisis about malnutrition in foreign countries. Sometimes they described these famines as products of drought and bad weather. Other times, they described them as products of armed conflict and civil war.

Even when the international crisis was the same, people donated less if they thought the cause was human than natural. And like with the previous study, it was because the victims seemed more blame-worthy and less involved in their own recovery.

We (Want to) Live in a Just World

People’s tendency to blame victims for their misfortune and avoid helping out in such cases relates to a theory in psychology called the Just World Belief hypothesis.

We often want to believe that our world is just and that when bad things happen, they happen for some reason. When someone is very poor, people need to see that person as responsible for their circumstance so they can hang onto a feeling that the world is fair. To think that bad things happen randomly to people can be uncomfortable!

So it seems that at least some of people’s reactions to these large-scale crises is filtered through their belief in a just world. If it was caused by humans, we can say that it’s their own fault and deserved what came to them. But when it’s impossible to pin the problem to a set of individuals like when a hurricane hits, we become more sympathetic and open our wallets.

As True Today As Ever

Of course, the role of victim blaming and self-help thoughts isn’t just true for the Asian Tsunami or Darfur or hypothetical famines. The recent devastation in Puerto Rico has called these concerns to the fore yet again. And it shows how even an undeniably natural disaster can evoke victim blaming and self-help attacks that get in the way of aid.

On Saturday, President Trump caused a stir with a series of tweets attacking Puerto Rico for their handling of the relief efforts. In one illustrative comment, he wrote: “They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort.”

Well isn’t that the definition of the “self-help” thoughts that Zagefka and her colleagues noted as an important determinant of aid! This view, if taken seriously by the public, could mean a decline in people’s willingness to contribute to relief efforts. So, it’s worth not taking it seriously, especially in light of the fact that Puerto Ricans have been actively involved in rebuilding their communities. Any deficit on their part may instead be due to a lack of support and resources.


Leave your comments / questions for this practitioner

To write a comment please
or
Services
Category filter
Concern filter
Type filter
Sort
 

All categories

Cognitive Psychology
$99 USD
consultation
Check Your Vibes! Find out how much Positive and Negative energy you have!

The Energy Leadership™ Index (ELI) assessment is the proprietary, research-backed assessment tool, created by iPEC, that takes something abstract, like the way a person views the world, and turns it into something tangible—a metric that you can see and feel and even reevaluate in the future.

You’ve probably taken personality tests, like Myers Briggs, DiSC, and Enneagram, but this is different. And transformational.

The ELI is an attitudinal assessment tool that captures how an individual currently perceives and approaches work and life. This means that you learn to make change happen in real-time when you encounter a moment of self-doubt, fear, or frustration.

With the awareness and insights gained through the Energy Leadership Index debrief, you have the opportunity to reshape your attitudes and worldview and transform your life into the one you envision.

Our worldview is the result of a combination of many different aspects: our past experiences, level of consciousness, perception of situations. Each of us has a unique combination of all seven levels of energy which, in turn, creates your typical viewpoints, perceptions, and beliefs about life.

Learning about your energetic makeup can help you to reframe your perspective, shift your consciousness, and increase your energy level as a result. Discover your unique energetic makeup by taking an ELI Assessment!

This comes with an hour debrief - As an FYI the price is what it is because there is a price to me- I have to pay the institution for the assessment and the scoring. Then I'll walk you thorugh your results.

David Jacks
Cognitive Psychology
$20 USD
consultation
Learn your Brain Type!!

When you learn your brain type, you learn what parts of your brain are overactive and what parts of your brain are underactive. This quiz is based off of Dr. Amen's 7 types of ADD. However, it doesn't matter whether or not you have ADD - you have a brain and this will tell me what type. And then we could combine this information with your personal history and what doctors may have said about you.

This is great for someone who is either not taking anything for their brain and is interested in trying supplements or someone who is taking medication or supplements and is not happy with how they feel or how they are performing cognitively.

When you take this assessment - there are 2 coloumns - the first column is for you, the 2nd column is for someone who knows you really well.

Then if you want to address the results with me as your coach we could talk about what that would look like.

David Jacks
Cognitive Psychology
$150 USD
consultation
Helping you Navigating and Adjusting through Life

Life is 10% what happen to us and 90% how we take it.

Cognitive Behavioural Therrapy is precisely the tool to help you in these times.

Patrick Bensen
Cognitive Psychology
$199 USD
mentorship session
Mentoring Session

This is a 1 on 1 healing session focused on anything of your choice. I specialise in trauma, healing, mindset, anxiety, coping with low moods.

This session is for the souls looking to fully integrate and embody their highest self. This is sacred and safe space to explore the things that have held you back.

45-60min live video one on one

LET’S HEAL TOGETHER

Katrina Eva

Related Articles

View All
Cognitive Psychology
Apr 14 2023
The Importance of Mental Health: Understanding and Prioritizing Mental Well-being

Mental health is an integral aspect of our overall well-being. It encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being and affects how we think, feel, and behave. Good mental health allows us to cope with the daily stresses of life, form health…

Shanti Green
Cognitive Psychology
May 7 2023
BUT FOR YOUR MODEL OF REALITY, YOU HAVE NO PROBLEMS

Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Mark 2:8

I frequently wonder these days what my thoughts would have been like if I had been raised in Russia, or Buddhism or Islam, or as a Black American. Surely I say to myself that I won’t be thinking the way…

Tunde Ekpekurede
Cognitive Psychology
Jan 18 2021
Mental enhancement in today's culture

Yet another survey has revealed surprisingly large numbers of people using drugs to boost their mental powers. What should be done?

MOST of us want to reach our full potential. We might drink a cup of coffee to stay alert, or go for a run to feel on top …

Demi Powell
Cognitive Psychology
Jan 24 2023
The New Deeper View of Laughing in Humor Psychology

Ever wondered why you laugh at things suddenly, let’s enroll into the concept of humor.

Everyone wants to be human and humanity is being mirthful. The humorous aspect of happiness in an expression of laughing is a stereotype inexplicable in all cultures …

Brighton Sykes
Registered individuals enjoy all the possibilities of Core Spirit.