ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a platform from which scrambling research can be launched. It focuses on the crisis response literature, in addition to the literature on coping and stressor-management, in developing a model of scrambling as a process and ability. The chapter shows that scrambling is different from both constructs in that it is the immediate marshalling of resources in response to an acute stressor. Individuals who are able to identify the emotions that they are experiencing, and divert attention away from these emotions are likely to experience relatively few cognitive difficulties in crisis situations. Individuals who are poised, self-reliant, and stable are typically considered to be high on emotional stability and low on Neuroticism. Individuals high on openness will be more likely to successfully respond to crises. Extraversion may enable successful crisis response by enabling individuals to communicate, disseminate information, and make decisions during times of crisis.
