Why do Students Stay Still? The Functions of Authority Relations and Intersubjectivity in Disaster Situations

Despite the fact that large-scale disasters involving large numbers of students are occurring, it is difficult to find research on students’ collective behavior in disaster situations. The purpose of this study is: In what situations do students transfer control of their actions without acting independently as individual actors in a disaster situation?; Are students’ actions appropriately controlled, and how can panic escapes be prevented?; In what anonymous space can solidarity interest based on intersubjective awareness emerge? This study applied multinomial logistic regression analysis to analyze how behavior patterns differ depending on the type of public place in a disaster situation among middle and high school students. Based on theory, behavioral types were divided into immediate evacuation, observation of others, and waiting for instructions, and the latter two were reclassified as transfer of behavioral control. Public space types were selected as schools, movie theaters, and karaoke rooms, taking into account the type of interaction. According to the survey results, transfer of control was highest in karaoke rooms, movie theaters, and schools in that order, and the possibility of transfer of behavioral control increased as grades increased. Impulsivity showed a negative (-) relationship and school size showed a positive (+) relationship. The results of this study show that in a closed structure such as a karaoke room, panic flights can occur in situations where the other person’s behavior cannot be observed and communication is not possible. However, places such as movie theaters and schools show that a transfer of control over one’s actions can occur. It also shows that solidarity interest based on intersubjective awareness can be expressed even in anonymous spaces such as movie theaters.