How we react to dangerous situations such as being taken hostage is influenced by our past experiences, University of Canterbury associate professor of psychology Martin Dorahy says.
Prof Dorahy said people's biological wiring affected whether they chose to run, fight or freeze.
''People who have been quite distressed or traumatised, often early on in their life, will tend to freeze and collapse, whereas people who have had more supportive early experiences are likely to be able to keep their thinking alive and therefore can assess the situation relatively quickly and can determine whether it's going to be appropriate to fight, or to flee.''
Being able to remain calm and think things through would usually boost a person's chances in a survival situation, Prof Dorahy said.
However, there were sometimes occasions where it could result in a worse outcome.
''If you are thinking and trying to strategise something, you might miss an opportunity to just flee. So if you just go purely with your emotions, it can occasionally be helpful.''
Prof Dorahy said the actions of Katrina Dawson, killed defending a pregnant colleague in the cafe, could have been shaped by her experiences as a mother of three children.
These instincts would have initially helped her get through the situation by focusing her attention on supporting someone else, which she reportedly did by looking after her colleague throughout the drama.
However, these same instincts would also have distracted her from her own wellbeing.
- Tom Doudney
