The risk factor — psychogenic factor modified

In another obvious biases judgments is the tendency of people to consider themselves as having personal immunity from risk. The vast majority of people believe that they are better than average drivers that they will likely live over 80 years, and it is unlikely that a poison consumed drinks or food and so on. Although this perception is obviously unrealistic, in relation to the experience of the individual risk is always for some reason looks very small.

Consider the risk during driving the vehicle. Despite fast driving, cutting, etc., poor drivers make trip after trip without mishaps. This personal experience demonstrates their exceptional craftsmanship and personal security. Moreover, their indirect experience via the mass media shows them that when accidents happen, they happen with other people. Getting a similar, misleading experience, almost everyone will feel quite calm and confident in their own safety until the failure to take protective measures, such as the use of seat belts in the car.

The reluctance of people to voluntarily wear safety belts can be caused by the realization of extremely small probability of getting into an accident with a fatal outcome during a single trip. Since such accidents happen only once in several million personal trips, and resulting in incapacity damage only once per hundred personal trips, failure to wear a seat belt may seem quite reasonable. However, this solution appears to be less common, if to take into account the prospect of multiple trips and to consider the substantial probability of an accident in any of travel. So, in the pilot study the respondents were informed that in 50 years of driving (40,000 trips) the probability of death increases to 0.01, and the probability of getting at least one disability resulting in damage to 0.33. Study participants, having considered this prospect of a lifetime, belonged to the seat belt (and air mattresses) more favourably than did people who were asked to consider the prospect of single trips.

The risk factor — psychogenic factor modified (unusual) conditions of existence, characterized by the presence of threat to life. The risk factor has a significant impact on the experience of the person in extreme situation. At the stage of starting mental stress there is the mental tension that is manifested in facial expressions, speech activity, the depth of sleep, the changes of recorded physiological functions. The cause of the starting strain in the presence of a risk factor can clearly be seen, on the one hand, uncertainty in the reliability of technical systems, on the other – "play" in mental terms of the probability of possible emergency situations. People that fall into the changed conditions for the first time, immediately overcoming the psychological barrier of mental tension gives way to elevated mood, and even euphoria and psychomotor stimulation. At the stage of unstable mental activity in the conditions of emergency situations you may experience unusual mental States, manifested in the form of agitati (excessive excitation), and transient stupor (severe distress, which is expressed in the stillness and silence). At the stage of deep mental changes develop affective neurosis in the form of phobias, expressed motor excitation and prolonged stupor that can lead to inadequate reactions. The consequence of this is to increase the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome, in particular, disasters and major accidents.