In order to make an informed decision about their actions in a situation where a criminal threatens physical violence, it is necessary to objectively assess the attacker, his physical, mental and emotional state.

If there is a threat of attack or it is already being committed, then first of all it is necessary to evaluate the physical characteristics of the enemy: height, weight, build, signs that he had some special training.

First of all, pay attention to how it stands. A boxer usually takes an open stance, clenches his fists, and often taps the open palm of the other hand with the fist of one hand (this will help determine whether he is left-handed or right-handed). Often boxers have a characteristic nose shape-the result of repeated injuries to the bridge of the nose.

The wrestler stands with his shoulders slightly lowered, with his arms hanging down along his torso, sometimes half-bent. The fingers of the hands are ready to grab something, the feet are shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. The movements of a wrestler are smoother than those of a boxer. A karate player can involuntarily take one of the usual stands for this type of martial art, but the fingers are not always clenched into fists, and if they are clenched, they are much tighter than those of boxers.

People who have special training are usually noticeably physically developed, move well, and look at their partner all the time, recording the slightest changes in their behavior.

The mental state of individuals who pose a threat of attack can be divided into three major groups:

1. mentally normal people with no apparent behavioral abnormalities;
2. mentally normal people, but under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
3. people with pathological abnormalities in the psyche.

It is important to understand the degree of aggressiveness of the attacker, whether it is directed against you personally or it is an aggressiveness of a "General" nature, i.e. it is directed at you as an object over which he is assigned to perform violence. Try to assess whether you are likely to be physically assaulted or are being tried to "take a fright".

Of great importance is the emotional state of the enemy-it depends on the speed of his actions, the degree of aggressiveness, the ability to conduct a dialogue with him and avoid undesirable consequences for you.

Sometimes you may encounter a situation where the person who is threatening or attacking you is afraid. In this case, most likely, this kind of situation has not yet become familiar to the threatening person, and he himself does not know exactly how the conflict may end for him.

Fear, as a rule, is manifested by stiffness in movements, there is a tremor of the hands, legs, and lower jaw. The eyes are wide open and the pupils are often dilated. The eye is running-it is not fixed on one object. There is an active sweating. The volume of the voice decreases, the timbre increases. There may be sudden changes in the pace of speech: pauses between syllables, words, and phrases. Often these" voids " are filled with interjections or profanity.

The state of anger can serve as a kind of indicator of aggressiveness. The pose takes on a threatening character, as if the person is preparing to throw. My muscles are tense. The expression of the face is frowning, and the eyes may be fixed on the source of anger for a long time. The voice volume rises sharply. Speech "through your teeth" is often interspersed with obscenities. In a strong anger, even people of non-Russian nationality use Russian obscene language. In anger, a person feels a surge of strength, becomes much more energetic and impulsive in their behavior. The peculiarity of this state is that a person feels the need for physical action. Self-control is reduced.

Contempt, unlike anger, rarely causes impulsive behavior, but that's why it can be more dangerous. The head is raised up, and even if the attacker is shorter than you, you get the impression that he is looking down at you. There is superiority in posture, facial expressions, and speech. The special danger of this state is that, while in it, a person can perform any action against you calmly and coolly. As a rule, the actions of such people are calculated, but if something does not work out, then there may also be an emotion of anger. The combination of these two emotions together is also a great danger.

Aggressive actions can also be caused by disgust. A person in this state looks as if something disgusting has got into his mouth or he has felt an extremely unpleasant smell for him. The nose is wrinkled and the upper lip is pulled up. Just as with contempt, there is a pose of "detachment", but without an expression of superiority.

Alcohol and drugs lead the psyche of the attacker or threat to a state of increased excitement, sharply reduce the level of self-control. Therefore, in extreme situations, it is important to determine whether the attacker "accepted" something and, therefore, what can be expected from him.

The most dangerous are the light and medium stages of alcohol intoxication, which cause an increase in aggressiveness. Some take alcohol "for courage", overcoming the feeling of fear, the signs of which you will still be able to notice. With alcohol intoxication, the critical perception of what is happening decreases, the person hardly perceives or does not perceive any argument at all. Movements become more active and can quickly turn aggressive. As a rule, a physical attack is first preceded by verbal aggression, when the person threatening you starts swearing, "starting" himself, and then proceeds to a direct physical attack.

A person who is in a state of drug intoxication looks almost normal, and someone who has never seen people in this state may not notice it. Drug intoxication is characterized, as a rule, by increased activity in movements. A slight degree is characterized by the following signs: speech is fast and excessively lively, the reaction to questions is not quite adequate, sometimes there are attacks of gratuitous laughter, in the eyes-a kind of"Shine". Some people in this state have a reduced sensitivity to pain, almost no sense of responsibility for their actions, and a sense of empathy. The drug has an exciting effect on the attacker.

In a chronic drug addict, you can notice traces of injections, bags under the eyes. By the way, it should be borne in mind that the effect of the drug can be quite short-lived. The end of its action can cause withdrawal in the addict, which will result in a sharp deterioration of the condition: he can become depressed, angry, even more excited and aggressive. He may have an overwhelming desire to remove the obstacle to getting the next dose as soon as possible. For some addicts, the period of "activation" lasts for a short time, after which a sharp depression can occur, when they become harmless and almost helpless. But before this state occurs, they are very, very dangerous.
Persons suffering from a mental disorder can be divided into four groups:

1. patients with paranoid schizophrenia;
2. patients suffering from manic-depressive psychosis;
3. patients with " anti-social personality type»;
4. patients with an inadequate personality.

If the person who threatens you belongs to the first group, then you should remember that these people have almost lost touch with reality, they often experience hallucinations, as well as delusions of either grandeur or persecution. In the first case, a person considers himself endowed with special qualities, by virtue of which he is much higher than others. In the second – that he is being persecuted for a "special mission", "special gift", etc.

Such a person may consider you a "great sinner", and sees his mission as to rid the world of you. With a sufficiently developed intelligence, such people are cunning and quite astute and in certain situations can be very aggressive.

People who suffer from delusions of persecution are usually in a state of deep depression, lose touch with the real world and often consider themselves unworthy to live, but they are ready to take you with them to the other world. Their speech and movements are extremely slow, and they need 15 seconds or more to answer the simplest questions. They may experience spontaneous improvements in their condition, when they may suddenly become completely calm. Do not be happy ahead of time, because perhaps such a person just matured the decision to commit suicide, and at the same time with you.

Inadequate or antisocial persons-they do not lose touch with reality. The antisocial type is a classic "manipulator" or con artist. One of the most important symptoms of this disorder is the complete lack of conscience or guilt in such a person. His ability to relate to those he is threatening or who has a physical impact, as it is quite small. He often strives for physical pleasure, likes to manipulate other people, knows how to present himself and at first can form an opinion about himself as a pleasant person. This type is very impulsive and can achieve immediate satisfaction of their requirements.

People who can be classified as "inadequate" type, without losing touch with reality, think immaturely, although they may be aware of the consequences of their actions. They show an inadequate response to stress, feel like failures in life. For them, often an attack on a random person is an opportunity to prove something important to someone, and the possibility of a physical collision can be considered by them as one of the thrills.

(Based on the materials of «Антитеррор. Практикум для горожанина». Сборник/сост.: редакция сайта «Антитеррор. Ру»: Европа; Москва; 2005).