IIn the early hours of January 1 last year, Colin McGarva dove into a swollen river in Worcester to rescue an unconscious woman. McGarva said he didn't think twice about the risk to himself or the devastating loss his newborn son would suffer if he too was swept away by the fast-moving icy water.
“I didn’t stop to think because the instinct—the immediate reaction—is to help someone in need,” he said. “Someone's life is an important thing. Helping is just something you have to do.”
The concept of heroism was widely discussed last week after the mass attack on a high-speed train traveling from Doncaster to London. Although initial reports spoke of panic and confusion as passengers, some injured and bloodied, ran through the carriages, stories of heroism appeared soon.
Samir Zituni, LNER employeewas the loudest. He was taken to hospital after he put himself in danger to save the lives of passengers. Police and the Transport Secretary praised him for his “immense bravery”.
“There are people alive today who would not be here… if not for his actions,” the transport minister said. Heidi Alexander. But, according to his family, “he has always been a hero to us.”
Is there a hero inside each of us? Witness intervention experts say there is; that we are all likely to act with selfless heroism in moments of acute threat.
“The idea of people panicking and running for the exit screaming is a Hollywood fantasy,” said Professor Stephen Reicher, an expert on group behavior at the University of St Andrews.
“It’s common for people to stay and help each other,” he said. “We found this during the 7/7 Tube attacks and the 1999 attack on the Admiral Duncan pub in London, where people looked out for each other even though they were afraid of other bombs.
“In our own research into the 2015 Leytonstone pipe attack, there was a surprising level of spontaneous coordination among bystanders: some led others away from danger. Some distracted the attacker. Some confronted the attacker. Each was able to act because of the others. Heroism was a feature of the group, not just the individual,” he added.
Professor Clifford Stott, a specialist in crowd psychology and group identity at Keele University, agreed. Modern research, he says, has shown that “bystander apathy” is a myth. Instead, strangers often work together in emergency situations, displaying a very complex unity.
“Modern research shows that the public is very good at protecting itself, and that the heroic actions that make headlines are actually hidden, natural tendencies in each of us.”
This, he said, revealed something very positive about the human condition, but also showed that society would benefit from developing and harnessing this natural ability, helping people feel empowered to take charge during emergencies.
“This will become increasingly important because of the broader challenges that society will soon face – at least there will be many more massive climate emergencies,” he said. “We need to build local resilience and create infrastructure within local communities that will help them organize and manage the incentives that people need to get involved.”
Professor John Drury, a social psychologist who specializes in group behavior at the University of Sussex, agrees. “Authorities responding to emergency situations need to support and facilitate the strong, natural tendency of people to group together and help each other,” he said.
The language used by police and other first responders was subtle but key to this, he said, pointing to the use of positive, unifying language: “Talk about 'community' rather than 'the public' and 'us' and 'we',” he said. “Focus on strengthening that sense of connection within the group you're talking to, as well as between you and that group.”
Dr Jill Harrop, who heads the Bystander Intervention Program at the University of Worcester, said many institutions were already actively working to create a culture of helpers.
“We're seeing this happen now with bystander intervention training in schools, colleges, universities, the police and even the NHS,” she said. “We're slowly but surely creating communities of active bystanders. And that's wonderful.”
