What Happens to an Individual During a Crisis?

Many times, in our field we will encounter an individual in crisis and may be responsible for guiding through the situation. According to Puleo and McGlothlin (2010), a crisis occurs when a situation exceeds an individual's ability to cope with their current resources, resulting in a temporary loss of control. The Anger Arousal Cycle below outlines the stages someone may go through during a crisis (e.g., trigger, escalation, crisis, recovery, and post-crisis). Understanding each stage and the overall cycle can help you identify where the individual is in the cycle and provide them with an appropriate level of support.  

Baseline: This stage represents an individual's normal level of functioning or emotional state. Understanding an individual's baseline behavior is crucial for identifying when they are beginning to move away from their day-to-day behavior.  

Triggering Event: A trigger can be a specific event or interaction that causes an individual to become agitated or frustrated. This could be a frustrating situation, a change in routine, or any other stressor that disrupts an individual's baseline state. According to Loice (2024), stress represents a physiological and psychological reaction to external pressures or demands, which can manifest as either acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) and has varying impacts on individuals. 

Escalation: As stress increases, individuals may struggle to manage their emotions, leading to changes in their physiological state. During this phase, the individual may engage in precursor behavior, signaling that there may be an increase in intensity and severity. Think of precursor behavior as early warning signs indicating that the situation may become unsafe. Below are some examples:     

• Clenched Jaw  

• Tense shoulders/ arms  

• Clenched hands  

• Deep Heavy breathing  

• Rapid breathing 

• Furrowed eyebrows  

• Sweating  

• Pacing back and forth  

Crisis: This is the peak of the behavior, where an individual may exhibit extreme behaviors, including verbal/physical aggression, self-harm, property destruction, or elopement. This phase is characterized by a loss of control as the emotional brain (the amygdala) takes over. At this point, rational thinking is often compromised, and survival responses (fight, flight, or freeze) dominate influence over behavior. According to Waters (2002), it is important to recognize that individuals may respond differently to stress and crises based on their past experiences, coping skills, and available support. Many responses observed during a crisis are natural reactions to overwhelming stress. 

De-escalation: During this phase, the individual is starting to show signs that may indicate they may be managing their emotions or following guidance that will lead them back to baseline. This phase is characterized by the relaxation of physiological responses. It is important to know that during this phase, the individual is not at baseline yet and can easily escalate back to the crisis phase; it may take minutes to hours to fully regulate, depending on their coping skills, ability to regulate, or willingness to follow guidance. Below are some examples that may indicate that an individual is de-escalating.    

• The clenched jaw will relax and release 

• Tense shoulders/ arms will lower and ease   

• Clenched hands will open and release   

• Deep heavy breathing will ease and level out   

• Rapid breathing will slow  

• Furrowed eyebrows will relax and smooth out   

• Sweating will subside   

• Pacing back and forth will slow down and eventually stop   

Post-Crisis: In this phase, an individual can experience feelings of exhaustion, remorse, or shame and may need additional guidance. During this time, you can conduct a wellness check, assess injuries, and transition to a safe location (if necessary). This is also an opportunity for connection and learning, as individuals can reflect on the experience and further develop their coping strategies.

Another important aspect of the Anger Arousal Cycle is to be aware that as emotional arousal increases, an individual’s ability to think clearly, communicate effectively, and use reasoning skills decreases. During a peak crisis, these skills are significantly impaired, making it difficult to follow directions or engage in meaningful communication. As the individual moves through recovery and into post-crisis, these abilities gradually return. The red line represents how escalated an individual is, while the blue line reflects what the individual is able to do in that moment. This will allow you to assess the situation and provide them with an appropriate level of support (i.e., meet the individual where they are). See examples below: 

• High Red + Low Blue = Keep interventions simple focus on safety 

• Decreasing Red + Increasing Blue = Look for opportunities to teach, process, and reengage. 

The Anger Arousal Cycle suggests that crisis behavior follows a pattern that can be recognized and broken down into different phases. Becoming familiar with this pattern would allow you to recognize when behavior is heightened expectations and adjust expectations to match the individual’s current abilities. This understanding can support developing effective interventions by identifying triggering events, early warning signs, and meeting the individual where they are during a crisis. 

Reference

Harper, G. (2004). The joy of conflict resolution: Transforming victims, villains and heroes in the workplace and at home. New Society Publishers.

Loice, F. E. (2024). Stress and Crisis Management. Journal of Academic Research in Economics (JARE), 16(2), 333-356.

Puleo, S., & McGlothlin, J. (2010). Overview of crisis intervention. Crisis intervention and prevention, 1-24.

Waters, J. A. (2002). Moving forward from September 11: A stress/crisis/trauma response model. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 2(1), 55-74.

Debbie Castoreno, Senior Behavior Specialist, Miren Behavior