Survivors Take Life in Stride

Chance plays a large role, of course, in whether people survive catastrophes such as the recent collapse of the Seoul department store.

But certain personality characteristics can also boost the survival rate, says Al Siebert, a Portland researcher with a doctorate in psychology who has studied the topic for 30 years.

Those most likely to survive are playful, curious about new things and have a sense of humor. Only about one person in 10 is a “natural” survivor, estimates Siebert, who has interviewed about 500 survivors of catastrophes. But the skills can be acquired, he says.

South Koreans rescued after being trapped several days in the department store, Siebert speculates, probably found something amusing about the ordeal. In his research interviews, Siebert recalls one man, kidnaped at gunpoint, who remembers thinking he’d be free of his mortgage payments.

Skilled survivors also have an “inner rebel” that hasn’t been socialized, says Siebert, the author of “The Survivor Personality,” (Practical Psychology Press, 1994). “Capt. Hawkeye Pierce [of “M.A.S.H”] is a very good example of a survivor,” Siebert says.

These people would probably consider such measures, Siebert says, as drinking urine (a sterile source of fluid in the absence of a urinary tract infection), while their more socialized counterparts would find the potentially life-saving action repugnant.

Survivors can also absorb information quickly, crucial in a threatening situation when they must scan the environment and assess the new reality. In a hostage situation, for example, those with this skill would be more likely to notice escape hatches.

“Survivor reflexes are a habit,” Siebert says. “They are an extension of how people handle everyday situations.”

Teaching yourself to be more of a survivor can be done, he says, by observing reactions to everyday situations, then practicing reacting more like a survivor than a victim.