Classification, 202 illus

The typical person is influenced by both an optimistic bias and an illusion of control (Frewer et al., 1994). When these are lost or compromised, panic can occur. While panic disorder can afflict an individual, panic also occurs as a collective phenomena. While it has been thought that emotional instability will lead some people to be more likely to panic, this is not always found. However, people who are emotionally unstable are more likely to attach importance to information provided during the crises than more emotionally stable individuals (Verbeke and Van Kenhove, 2002). Furthermore, some people are more likely to believe they are sick or affected than others. Feldman et al. (1999) examined the panic predisposition of people based on their classification by the big five personality factors. People were inoculated with a common cold virus, and those who were classified as neurotic were more likely to report unfounded illness and more symptoms than other groups. In contrast to this, openness to experience was associated with reporting unfounded symptoms in those with verifiable colds, whereas conscientiousness was associated with reporting unfounded illness in those who were not ill (Feldman et al, 1999). 

The relative rarity of self-awareness is a major contributor to neurotic qualities of behavior and to the classification of ordinary consciousness as illusion or waking dreaming by many spiritual systems, an idea explored in Chapter 19. The higher end of the continuum of self-awareness comes to us even more rarely, although it may be sought deliberately in certain kinds of meditative practices, such as the Buddhist vipassana meditation discussed in chapter 7. 

S. Grossberg, Biological Cybernetics, 23, 187 (1976). Adaptive Pattern Classification and Universal Recoding n. Feedback, Oscillation, Olfaction, and Illusions. 

Dekker, S.W.A. (2003). Illusions of explanation a critical essay on error classification. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 13(2), 95-106. 

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