The Story:
When 12 young footballers and their coach entered the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand, it was supposed to be a fun outing after football practice. But when a torrent of flood water rushed in after heavy rain, the group became trapped on a small rock shelf deep inside the cave’s vast network of tunnels.
It was nine days before two British divers, John Volanthen and Richard Stanton, located the group – mercifully alive and apparently in good physical and mental health.
Question:
What connection does the author draw between physiological and psychological reaction to a life threatening incident in Thai cave boys:the psychology of surviving underground
Answer:
The Author, Sarita Robinson, concludes that the boys and their coach managed to stay both physically and psychologically healthy during the nine long days they spent waiting in the dark and that this is an important factor which explained their surviving the ordeal underground. The fact that they were a social circle might have contributed to their survival. One person in such an ordeal might not have made it out alive.
She stated that it is not uncommon for one to give up mentally and even die regardless of the opportunities for survival.
This is referred to as Psychogenic Death.
She is of the opinion that they should be closely watched after the ordeal, and if after a period of watchful waiting psychologists are still concerned, then psychiatric care can be offered.
Cheers!
Answer:
When children first became aware that they were facing a life-or-death situation, they will have experienced a series of physiological reactions. The usual fight-or-escape reactions that lead to an increased heart rate will be triggered immediately, as they are designed to help us stay alive.
Fortunately, when the flood inundated the cave, the Thai footballers and coach seem to have kept a cool head. They were able to control the feeling of panic and make the rational decision to find a safe place and wait.
Explanation:
This experience shows us once again that survival not only depends on physiological factors, but that the emotional and psychological aspects also have a great influence.
If we let our mind focus on the negative, and we do not project ourselves into the future that everything will turn out well, it is very easy to make bad decisions in times of stress or anxiety and that can affect our own lives.
