The Psychology of Crisis Response: Why Standard PR Playbooks Are Not Enough

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From Damage Control to Collective Impact

Corporate crisis responses often follow a familiar script: express empathy, cooperate with authorities, review protocols, and issue carefully managed statements. While these steps are important, they often leave a deeper need unaddressed: the emotional and social impact that immediate and related communities navigate after a tragedy.

Today’s audiences are more informed, more interconnected, and more emotionally attuned than ever before. In times of crisis, they increasingly look to institutions and brands not only for statements of regret, but for active participation in community rebuilding. However, very few brands move beyond an initial response.

Advances in behavioral and cognitive science offer crisis communication professionals new blueprints of human decision-making and our shared responses to traumatic social events. The research reveals supportive, empathetic, and meaningful interventions help mitigate the “collective trauma” that often follows catastrophic events while engendering a deeper state of brand trust and relationship.

Case Study: Turo and the January 1 Tragedies in New Orleans & Las Vegas

On January 1, two vehicles rented through Turo, a peer-to-peer car rental-sharing platform, were used in radicalized attacks in New Orleans and a suicide bombing in Las Vegas, resulting in 14 fatalities. Like many brands that experience a crisis event, Turo’s initial response followed the standard sequence of crisis response protocols crisis and reputation management practitioners follow:

  1. Immediate Statements
    • Issue swift condolences and expressions of shock
    • Reinforce a commitment to cooperate fully with law enforcement
  1. Safety and Trust Disclosures
    • Emphasize ongoing efforts to review and strengthen safety protocols
    • Outline the safety standards that were in place to prevent the crisis
  1. Reassure Stakeholders
    • Address public and investor concerns with updates on internal investigations
    • Hold limited media interviews to maintain clarity in messaging

While Turo is commendable for its promptness and transparency, relying exclusively on traditional crisis management standards in modern-day crisis communication can fall short of meeting deeper communal needs to the level that it has an erosive brand effect—particularly in crises related to terrorism and radicalization.

Relying on traditional crisis management frameworks in modern-day crisis communication that falls short of meeting deeper communal needs can contributes a long-term erosive brand effect.

Where Standard Crisis Responses Fall Short

  1. Operational vs. Relational Focus
    Conventional crisis responses tend to emphasize organizational stability—statements, investigations, compliance. These measures are crucial for business continuity but can inadvertently downplay the emotional impact on affected populations, even with eloquent expressions of grief.
  2. Limited Engagement with Local Realities
    Crisis statements rarely acknowledge the nuanced social fabric of the locations they serve. In a place like New Orleans, a tight-knit cultural identity and historical resilience are vital elements of community life. A purely top-down corporate tone can feel disconnected from that reality.
  3. Lack of Long-Term Vision
    Once immediate statements and initial safety reviews are complete, many brands return to “business as usual,” while large-scale tragedies reverberate in communities for years. Absent deeper engagement, trust erodes over time and vulnerabilities remain unaddressed.
  4. Minimal Role in Collective Healing
    Brands often assume that offering “thoughts and prayers” or referencing safety metrics fulfills their moral and social duty. Social science suggests that when organizations actively participate in the healing process—by facilitating forums, offering mental health resources, adding creative community support, or facilitating community-led solutions—they forge stronger, longer-lasting and mutually beneficial relationships.

The Imperative for a Psychosocial Approach

When we consider crises through social and physical science lenses, the concept of “Psychosocial Effect” begins to take center stage.

Psychosocial Effect refers to the impact of an event, situation, or any “environmental condition” on the psychological (mental and emotional) well-being of individuals and their social (relational and communal) dynamics.

It recognizes that human experiences are shaped through an interplay of internal mental states and external social environments, and communal states are formed by the collective processing of shared experiences, values, and reactions to external stressors. This dynamic creates a responsibility for cohesion- and sustainability-minded leaders to design responses that not only address immediate needs but also foster emotional resilience, strengthen social bonds, and promote long-term communal well-being.

Key Aspects of the Psychosocial Effect:

  1. Psychological Impact:
    • Includes emotions such as anxiety, grief, anger, fear, or trauma.
    • Can affect cognitive functions like decision-making, focus, and perception of safety.
  2. Social Impact:
    • Disruption to relationships, trust, and social cohesion within communities.
    • Can involve isolation, breakdown of support systems, or changes in how people interact with one another.
  3. Interplay of Both Dimensions:
    • Highlights how psychological states influence social behaviors (e.g., mistrust leading to community fragmentation).
    • Conversely, social environments affect mental health (e.g., stigma or support impacting recovery).

Examples of Psychosocial Effects in Crises:

  • Natural Disasters: Survivors of a hurricane or fire may experience trauma (psychological) while also struggling with disrupted community ties due to displacement (social).
  • Terrorism: A community affected by a terrorist attack may face collective grief and fear (psychological) as well as diminished public trust, safety or cohesion (social).
  • Corporate Crises: In cases of corporate negligence, affected individuals may feel betrayed (psychological), leading to protests or weakened loyalty to the brand and//or industry (social).

Why It’s Important:

Understanding the psychosocial effect is crucial in crisis management because it allows organizations to address both the emotional and social needs of individuals and communities, leading to more effective and compassionate recovery efforts.

Crises do not merely disrupt infrastructure; they can unsettle identities, social ties, and communal well-being. In the aftermath of large-scale violence, people often experience anxiety, grief, anger, and uncertainty—which undermine communal trust and sense of safety. Organizations can wield significant influence in this process—not by only mitigatating harm, but by helping the psychosocially-affected communities heal and rebuild. Instead of limiting response to immediate feelings and operational fixes, psychosocial crisis responses account for:

  • Emotional Dynamics: Grief, trauma, and anxiety prevalent among survivors, victims’ families, and the broader community.
  • Community Identity and Values: Rituals, historical resilience, and cultural contexts that shape how a community understands tragedy and healing.
  • Collective Efficacy: The capacity of a community to come together and act collectively for its well-being—something companies can empower or undermine based on how they respond.

When organizations address psychosocial effects, they do more than manage brand perceptions; they foster genuine partnerships that help communities heal more fully and reduce future vulnerabilities. Tragedy creates a complex web of psychological and social reverberations that extend far beyond the immediate incident. These ripples of impact don’t just touch individuals; they influence the shape of the collective consciousness of communities and form the fabric of relationship between institutions and the people they serve. Is a fabric of commerce, transactionalism, and taking being formed? Or is it a fabric of consideration, support, and relationship?

Tragic events create negative, nationwide ripple effects that standard business crisis management protocols typically do not address. When extremism or radicalization is involved, these effects can resonate particularly deeply, creating both a need and opportunity for expanded corporate responses.

By acknowledging both visible and invisible wounds effected upon the community and the shared collective social system, companies can design interventions that go beyond damage control to create what can be called a “tonic” effect—one that addresses the acute crisis while fostering unity, resilience, and an improved social atmosphere than existed before their involvement with the crisis. Emerging stronger from the storm.

Toward a Multi-City Psychosocial Crisis Framework

For brands like Turo that operate across diverse markets, and especially with crises that activate shared social fears like terrorism and radicalization, a crisis in one location can have immediate reputational and psychological spillover in others.

The public doesn’t experience these crises as isolated and distant-shore incidents with limited relevance to their life. Depending on the relational geometry to the initiating crisis, some cities may experience even greater negative community impact from a crisis than the city of origin. 

When crisis response does not encompass all affected areas, the effect may be subtle – contributing to an individual social-emotional impact and brand weakening beyond the sophistication of modern-day measurement.

The Christchurch mosque attacks on March 15, 2019 demonstrate how one act of violence can rapidly become a matter of multi-city concern. While the initial shock was centered in New Zealand—where the New Zealand government promptly enacted stricter gun laws—the ripple effects touched mosques in major metro cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles that reported heightened anxiety and fear of copycat incidents, resulting in increased security patrols and advocacy for greater funding to protect community centers. Across the United Kingdom, many Muslim leaders spoke out about intensifying online Islamophobia, prompting mosques to organize volunteer-based safety patrols and putting renewed pressure on the government to refine strategies like the Prevent program.

Australian cities undertook security audits and interfaith vigils, while the attacker’s Australian nationality sparked national introspection about domestic extremism. France, Germany, and other European nations quickly intensified digital monitoring of radical content.

The multinational initiative “Christchurch Call to Action,” co-sponsored by New Zealand and France led major technology companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google to adopt firmer policies on extremist content.

Christchurch offers a clear example how focalized trauma can create a chain reaction of psychological, social, and institutional impact. An attack against one human is an attack against us all. We self-identify across a vast spectrum of visible concern, but the underlying activation is always present.

When crisis response does not encompass all affected areas, the effect may be subtle – contributing to an individual social-emotional impact and brand weakening that is beyond the sophistication of modern-day measurement – or it can be blatantly damaging, creating conspicuous fractures in community health and brand reputation. Focalized community support efforts are important, but only addressing the immediate community of impact can be the crisis communication equivalent of putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. 

This psychosocial reality creates an importance (and some would argue an imperative) for brands like Turo to create multi-city psychosocial crisis responses including locations that are behaviorally correlated to the originating event.

Psychosocial Crisis Response Examples

How does this look in real-world practice? Below are a series of psychosocial multi-city crisis response strategies Turo and brands facing radicalization and terrorism-based crises could consider to expand crisis PR to address Psychosocial Effect and collective impact:

1. Identify High-Risk Cities: Seeing Vulnerability Through a Behavioral Lens

Terrorism often exploits patterns—cities with symbolic value, environments of perceived social vulnerability, or gaps in infrastructure or vigilance. Identifying and addressing these patterns is an act of both responsibility and leadership. Begin by identifying communities with related cultural, historical, and risk relationships, such as:

  1. Shared Sociocultural Dynamics: Cities like Nashville and Miami share the celebratory ethos that may be the unifying factor that made New Orleans and Las Vegas appealing targets. These are not random locations but carefully chosen arenas where public vulnerability intersects with cultural openness.
  2. Parallel Impact Locations: The Turo vehicles used in the January attacks were rented in Denver and Houston, leaving an imprint on these communities and their citizens as the initiation point of the tragedies. Engage all communities directly related to a trauma in its attempted resolution. 
  3. Historical Trauma Connection: Communities with a legacy of similar attacks—such as New York City (2017 Manhattan Home Depot truck attack)—carry a residual, often unspoken, collective anxiety. This psychological imprint can heighten the risk of future events and the need for preemptive engagement.
  4. Governmental and Economics Centers: Cities that are core to the function of our government and social structures like Washington, D.C., Denver (the federal government backup city), New York, and Los Angeles represent not just logistical hubs but ideological ones. Their significance places them at heightened risk for attacks with symbolic goals and, therefore, intelligent considerations for multi-city crisis response and neutralization strategies.

Once high-risk cities have been mapped and prioritized, psychosocial interventions can employ a range of relational and restorative strategies to direct their brand affect with intention and as much power as possible:

2. “Safe Streets, Strong Cities” Community Safety Coalition

Engage the Building safer communities requires collaboration between local stakeholders and empowering residents to reclaim their public spaces. The “Safe Streets, Strong Cities” initiative positions Turo as a proactive ally in fostering vigilance and solidarity.

  • Establish Localized Safety Coalitions: Bring together municipal leaders, law enforcement, and community organizers to form coalitions focused on addressing public safety concerns unique to their cities. These coalitions should serve as hubs for knowledge-sharing and coordinated action.
  • Host quarterly summits in high-risk cities (e.g., Miami, Nashville) to align stakeholders on safety priorities.
  • Provide Turo’s resources—such as vehicles and logistical support—to facilitate these gatherings and any follow-up.

Psychosocial Impact: Foster vigilance and creates informed networks of individuals ready to act in the interest of public safety.

3. Healing Through Action: Trauma-Informed Community Days

Host annual events in cities affected by past violence or vulnerable to trauma. These “Days of Healing and Empowerment” offer free counseling, resilience training, and actionable education on reducing terrorism and radicalization.

  • Healing and Education:
    • Provide free therapy sessions and group workshops led by behavioral health experts.
    • Offer resilience training focused on trauma recovery and community strengthening.
    • Educate attendees on recognizing early signs of radicalization and fostering inclusivity.
  • Victim Support:
    • Distribute therapy vouchers and scholarships for victims and their families.
    • Hold commemorative events to honor those impacted.
  • Community Building:
    • Facilitate collaborative activities, like storytelling or art, to foster belonging.
    • Partner with local organizations to ensure the event reflects community needs.

Psychosocial Impact: Acknowledging and addressing trauma strengthens communities, fosters resilience, and creates deeper connections between the community and the brand, showing long-term commitment to healing and growth.

4. Civic Watch Initiative

When organizations address psychosocial elements, they foster genuine partnerships that help communities heal more fully and reduce future vulnerabilities.

Engage communities directly in safety efforts while addressing concerns about vulnerability in public spaces.

  • Volunteer Patrols:
    Provide free or subsidized Turo vehicles to community safety patrols or neighborhood watch groups.
  • Supportive Technology:
    Equip vehicles with GPS tracking and communication tools to ensure volunteer safety and ease of communication with law enforcement.
  • Visibility Campaign:
    Highlight the initiative’s success through local media, featuring stories of community-driven impact to inspire replication nationwide.

Psychosocial Impact: Leveraging collective action reduces the sense of isolation and helplessness that crises often provoke. Empowering residents to actively contribute to safety fosters a sense of agency, solidarity, and trust within the community. By addressing the psychological and social dimensions of vulnerability, Civic Watch strengthens communal vigilance and counters the anonymity extremists exploit, turning neighborhoods into networks of care and resilience.

5. Public Safety Innovation Challenges

Inspire creative and actionable solutions to transportation safety issues by harnessing the ingenuity of local communities.

  • Citywide Hackathons:
    Collaborate with universities, tech hubs, and innovation labs to host competitions where participants design apps, tools, or systems that enhance public safety in transportation networks.
  • Funding for Winning Ideas:
    Provide grants to develop and implement top solutions, ensuring that ideas with potential become practical tools.
  • National Sharing Platform:
    Create an online repository to share successful solutions across cities, enabling them to adapt innovations to their local needs.

Psychosocial Impact: Explore how public safety concerns are a shared responsibility, empowering communities to proactively address challenges through collaboration and innovation. By fostering creativity and providing a path for solutions to be implemented, Turo positions itself as a leader in collective problem-solving. The initiative strengthens trust between the brand and the community, while addressing vulnerabilities in ways that resonate with local culture and values.

6. “Ride with Purpose” Multi-City Social Impact Program

Utilize Turo’s vehicle-sharing platform to drive impactful community-focused initiatives and foster meaningful connections between the brand and the communities it serves.

  • Free Vehicle Rentals for Nonprofits:
    Provide free or discounted vehicle access to organizations addressing critical social issues such as food insecurity, disaster relief, and mental health outreach.
  • Resilience Fleet:
    Dedicate a fleet of vehicles to support ongoing community initiatives, such as urban farming deliveries, mobile health clinics, and transportation for students in underserved areas.
  • Annual “Drive for Change” Event:
    Partner with local nonprofits to organize an annual event in multiple cities, mobilizing Turo vehicles for high-visibility, community-driven projects like park cleanups, resource deliveries, or education-focused campaigns.

Psychosocial Impact: Transform Turo’s core asset—its vehicles—into a tool for community upliftment, making the brand synonymous with positive, visible change. By aligning its services with the needs of local nonprofits and underserved populations, Turo demonstrates its commitment to shared purpose and societal progress. The program builds trust, strengthens community ties, and fosters long-term brand loyalty through consistent, tangible contributions.

7. Radicalization Awareness Forums

Facilitate open, actionable dialogue on the psychological, social, and systemic factors contributing to radicalization, empowering communities to take preventative action.

  • Collaborative City-Specific Forums:
    Partner with universities, civic leaders, and mental health experts to host forums tailored to each city’s cultural dynamics and challenges.
  • Free Community Toolkits:
    Provide toolkits for community leaders, businesses, and schools that include actionable strategies for identifying and addressing early signs of radicalization.
  • Annual Progress Reports:
    Document forum discussions, solutions, and outcomes in comprehensive reports that highlight progress and identify areas for improvement, sharing these findings across cities to inspire collective learning.

Psychosocial Impact: Breaking the silence around radicalization through structured, open forums reduces stigma and builds a shared understanding of the issue. These events empower community members to take ownership of prevention efforts, fostering a sense of agency and solidarity. By providing resources and actionable steps, Turo positions itself as an engaged partner in creating safer, more informed, and united communities.

The Greater Impact: Transforming Brand and Community

A psychosocial crisis strategy does not negate standard crisis communication protocols—they enlarge mutual community and brand benefits:

  • Enhanced Community Resilience: A more informed, cohesive local population is better able to recover from—and potentially prevent—future crises.
  • Stronger Brand Loyalty: Seeing a brand step forward as a genuine partner in recovery forges enduring goodwill and advocacy among consumers, civic leaders, and stakeholders.
  • Reduced Risk of Repeat Incidents: By addressing root causes and community vulnerabilities, organizations can help disrupt the pathways that lead to violence or extremism.
Psychosocial crisis responses do not negate standard crisis communication protocols – they enlarge mutual community and brand benefits.

Conclusion: A Blueprint to Turn Crisis Into Connection

Corporate communication and public relations best practices alone no longer suffice in an environment where violence can spread quickly and trust can be broken in an instant. Communication must engage with deeper levels of awareness of human psychology.

Thanks to the libraries of new engagement and decision insights from the behavioral and cognitive sciences, we see that effective crisis mitigation is not just about damage control—it is about restoring balance in the business and the individuals and communities affected.

By directing a crisis response’s Zone of Effect to include strategies that leave communities stronger than they started, brands become active partners and leaders in societal progress. In our age of growing corporate mistrust, customer hardships, community polarization, and brand boycotts, the value of functioning as an ally to your customers and communities in good times and in crisis, is too great to measure.

Learn More

To learn more about behavioral science-based crisis planning and multi-city marketing, contact our team at Volume PR. With our award-winning international communications team and national PR and crisis communication strategic networks, we offer full-service public relations, brand growth, and crisis communication support.

  • Podcast, Behavioral Crisis Communication Plan: Listen to a podcast on Behavioral Crisis Communication with our founder and creator of the Behavioral Communication Movement here.
  • Podcast on Ethical Influence: Listen to a podcast on Ethical Influence in the age of science-informed communication here.
  • Podcast, Science-based Marketing & Public Relations: Listen to a podcast on the way new behavioral and cognitive science research is evolving marketing and professional communication here.
  • Modern Communicator’s Manifesto: Read our Manifesto and the Case for Behavioral Science in Communication here.

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Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards is the founder of Volume PR, Engagement Science Lab, and creator of The Frequency of Understanding; an international movement to combining behavioral science and neuroscience with communication strategies to accelerate understanding and change.

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