Four Types of People During Crises

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 2, 2020

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Psychology, Work-Life

Since the beginning of the isolation era mandated by COVID-19, the America Psychological Association (APA) has been sending daily emails to its members, including me. I have read all of them and although many of them do not apply to me, due to the fact they concern how to provide psychological therapy to patients via teleconference, other emails are informative both in general, and as they relate to my consulting business. One of the most interesting APA emails I read discussed psychological research findings regarding various populations’ reactions to crises, such as the current worldwide pandemic. It listed 4 distinct types of people, along with their typical reactions to a crisis situation:

1. Type 1. This group of people is comprised of individuals who were psychologically healthy prior to the crisis and who remain psychologically healthy despite the current, negative situation. The primary characteristic this group of people have in common is resilience. People who are resilient are more likely to help other people through difficulties and are more likely than other people to emerge from the situation unscathed.
2. Type 2. This group of people is comprised of individuals who were psychologically healthy prior to the crisis, but whose mental health is pushed to new limits by the pandemic. People in this group tend to adopt protective measures designed to elevate their ability to handle the additional demands of the crisis, leaving few available resources for other demands placed on them. For the most part, they will bounce back when the crisis abates.
3. Type 3. This group of people were functioning “normally,” without any overt signs of mental illness, prior to the pandemic. Although they may have had anxiety or suffered from depression, they were able to perform their jobs, interact with loved ones, and generally, enjoy a positive existence prior to the onset of a crisis situation. However, as a result of the crisis related to the pandemic, people in this group have been “pushed over the edge” from mental health to mental illness. They are likely to require mental health assistance in order to return to their former condition.
4. Type 4. This group of people is the smallest of the 4 types and is comprised of individuals who were severely mentally ill prior to the pandemic and who lack the cognitive resources to cope with the ways in which the world has changed. People in this group are in need of significant mental health counseling and other resources that are, in many ways, lacking during the current pandemic. They are at a greater risk than people in the other 3 groups of mental health breakdown, suicide, and accidental death.

As I write this post, I have considered what I, as a psychologist, can do to help those around me. David and I have been staying in contact with as many people as possible, particularly those who live alone, are disabled, have psychological problems, etc. so that we will be ready if they need us. We have been doing regular “wellness checks” on people we believe will benefit from our care and compassion. And, as you might have guessed, both David and I are in the Type 1 group of resilient people. Thank goodness for mental health! Don’t take yours for granted.