Beware these ‘Dragons of inaction’

Many B.C. residents believe a major earthquake or other disaster is coming, but do little or nothing to prepare. What’s that about? University of Victoria environmental psychologist Robert Gifford says this inertia is caused by “dragons of inaction”— inner barriers that block people from preparing for disaster. Of the roughly 30 dragons of inaction that inhabit people’s minds, Gifford identifies seven that keep individuals from getting ready for a natural calamity such as an earthquake: The dragon of uncertainty. It often justifies inaction or postponed action. The dragon of judgmental discounting. A disaster will happen later, or elsewhere, so there’s no need to do anything. The dragon of habit. This beastie is also known as Behavioural Momentum. Many habitual behaviours are resistant to change, or change slowly. The dragon of conflicting goals.“I have other more immediate things to do.” The dragon of optimism bias. “It won’t happen, at least to me, at least not soon.” The dragon of tokenism. People take the easiest steps to prepare for disaster rather than the most effective. The dragon of conformity. If no one else in your neighbourhood is preparing for an earthquake, you likely won’t either.