A world renowned psychologist says he’s not surprised that people are breaking Covid lockdown rules as “we’re all prone to a little self-entitlement, especially when it's hard”.
David Dunning, a social psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Michigan told Q+A that Covid is “a risk that we all share, all among us and so everybody has to act in a way that protects everybody else.”
He’s not surprised that people have been flouting the lockdown restrictions.
“The problem is that we often think that we’re special, we think that we’re unique, our circumstances aren’t replicated elsewhere and so the rules doesn’t necessarily apply to us as much as they apply to everybody else.”.
Professor Dunning told Whena Owen that it’s not about whether people know the rules, it’s about whether they trust the people issuing the instructions, and that problem is exacerbated when its politicians and policy makers are also breaking the rules.
“It’s not whether you understand what they’re saying, it’s not whether you can come to your own conclusion, it’s just simply: ‘Is this a person that I can trust?’ And it’s very important to maintain that trust at the individual level, let’s say at the doctor to patient [level], but also policymaker to country.”
Because Covid is a risk to the entire community, individuals who flout the rules incur the wrath of those who are following the rules.
“Your actions alter my fate, and so naturally people are going to become more emotional”.
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