Page 71 - Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilience

40 Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilence

of a risk or to provide people with information that allows them to better
respond to a risk. In other cases, the purpose is to disseminate informa-
tion on actions to take. In yet other cases, the purpose is to build consen-
sus or engage people in a dialogue about appropriate behaviors and levels
of concern.
In a crisis, disaster, or emergency, the goals of risk communication are
more specific. For example, recent research (Hobfoll et al., 2007) indicates
effectiveness in managing a crisis, disaster, or emergency is closely linked
to effectiveness in communicating

• Safety
• Calm
• Self- and group efficacy
• Connectedness
• Hope

Risk Communication Models

Effective risk communication is based on models that describe how risk
information is processed, how risk perceptions are formed, and how risk
decisions are made. These models provide the intellectual and theoretical
foundation for effective risk communication.

The Risk Perception Model

One of the most important paradoxes identified in the risk perception litera-
ture is that the risks that kill or harm people, and the risks that alarm and
upset people, are often very different. For example, there is virtually no cor-
relation between the ranking of hazards according to statistics on expected
annual mortality and the ranking of the same hazards by how upsetting
they are to people. There are many risks that make people worried and upset
many people but cause little harm. At the same time, there are risks that kill
or harm many people but do not make people worried or upset.
This paradox is explained in part by the major factors that affect how
risks are perceived. Several of the most important are described below:

• Trust. Risks from activities associated with individuals, institutions, or
organizations lacking in trust and credibility (e.g., organizations with
poor health, safety, or environmental track records) are judged to be