What is the best definition of a crisis?

A crisis is best defined as a situation in which an individual's ability to cope has been exceeded. This definition captures the essence of a crisis as a critical moment where a person's usual strategies for handling stress and challenges are overwhelmed. When faced with a crisis, a person may find their emotional or cognitive capacities insufficient to manage the circumstances, leading to heightened distress and potentially maladaptive responses.

This framing of a crisis emphasizes the subjective experience of the individual and acknowledges that crises can vary significantly from one person to another, depending on their unique coping mechanisms and environmental influences. It recognizes the profound impact a crisis can have on mental health and functioning.

In contrast, the other definitions offered may touch on aspects of a crisis but do not encapsulate the complete concept. For example, losing control or failing to stay calm can certainly occur during a crisis, but these states are symptoms or outcomes rather than the defining characteristics of a crisis itself. Similarly, while COVID-19 and its economic repercussions could be described as a crisis on a societal level, it does not represent the individual experience that defines a crisis in a personal context.