COVID-19 and Psychology : People and Society in Times of Pandemic

Already, the COVID-19 pandemic has left a deep mark on all levels of human activity and sentiment. As far as the best possible management of the situation is concerned, it is not only up to governments and experts in health systems, but ultimately up to each individual to act appropriately. Understanding the psychological background and the societal context is essential. This essential is also intended to make a contribution in the sense of joint and successful coping. This __Springer essential__ is a translation of the original German 1st edition __COVID-19 und Psychologie__ by John G. Haas, published by Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature in 2020. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically different from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors. What You Can Find in This essential 6 Preface to the International Edition 7 Acknowledgements 9 Advice of Abu Jafar Ahmad Ibn Khatimah on Warding Off and Coping with the Plague (From the Year 1349)=-20pt 10 Contents 11 About the Author 14 1 Epidemics and Pandemics—Why They Occur and How They Are Combated 15 1.1 What is a Pandemic? 15 1.2 Why Do Epidemics and Pandemics Occur? 15 1.3 How Epidemics and Pandemics Are Combated 17 2 The Human Psyche – A Brief Consideration 19 2.1 The Human Being as a Biopsychosocial Unit 19 2.2 What is (Mental) Health? 20 2.3 How a Mental Disorder Develops and How It is Defined 21 2.4 How the Psyche Expresses Itself 22 3 Psychological Aspects of Epidemics and Pandemics 23 3.1 Man’s Fear of Infectious Diseases 23 3.2 Contagion from a Psychological Perspective 24 3.2.1 Social Contagion 24 3.2.2 Emotional Contagion 25 3.3 Defense from a Psychological Point of View 25 3.3.1 Defense from the Perspective of Evolutionary Psychology—The Behavioural Immune System 25 3.3.2 Defense from the Perspective of Psychoanalysis 26 3.3.3 The Biopsychosocial Model of Contagion and Defence 26 3.4 The Spectrum of Mental Disorders in the Context of Epidemics and Pandemics 26 3.5 Management of Mental Stress and Mental Disorders in the Context of COVID-19 29 3.6 Assessment of Own Psychological Well-Being 29 3.7 Resilience in Times of Epidemic and Pandemic 30 3.8 The Role of Anxiety and Fear 30 4 A Brief Psychohistory of Epidemics and Pandemics 32 4.1 Psychohistory of the Plague of Athens 32 4.2 Psychohistory of the Plague in the Middle Ages 33 4.3 Psychohistory of Epidemics and Pandemics in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Century 35 5 The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Human Psyche 37 5.1 The Disturbance Triad of the COVID-19 Pandemic 37 5.2 How Stress, Anxiety and Depression Develop During the COVID-19 Pandemic 37 5.3 Impact on the General Population 38 5.4 Impact of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions 39 5.4.1 Isolation and Quarantine - Effective but with Unclear Consequences 39 5.4.2 Social Distancing 41 5.4.3 Wearing of a Mouth-And-Nose-Guard (“Face Mask”) 41 5.4.4 The Paradox of Self-Defeating Prophecy in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic 42 5.5 Risk Factors for Mental Stress 42 5.6 Risk Groups 43 5.7 Resilience Factors in the Period of COVID-19 43 5.8 Resilience in the Post-Pandemic Phase 43 6 Social Aspects of the COVID-19 Pandemic 45 6.1 Alternative and Pseudo-Medical Recommendations 45 6.2 Loneliness 46 6.3 Rumors 47 6.4 Society and Popular Culture 48 6.5 Violence 48 6.5.1 Violence in Public Spaces 48 6.5.2 Family and Sexual Violence 48 6.6 Crime 49 6.7 Media Coverage 49 6.8 Panic Buying 50 6.9 Paranoid Thoughts 50 6.10 Responses to Measures to Contain COVID-19 51 6.10.1 Willingness to Comply with Measures 51 6.10.2 Criticism, Dissatisfaction and Resistance to Measures 51 6.11 Assigning Blame 51 6.12 Social Support and Cohesion 52 6.13 Stigmatisation 52 6.14 Suicide Attempts and Suicide 53 6.15 Conspiracy Theories 53 6.16 Insecurity 55 6.17 Perceived Social Consensus 55 6.18 Perceived Change in Living Conditions 56 6.19 Xenophobia and Racism 56 7 “Harmful Information”—Causes and Consequences of an Infodemic 57 7.1 What Promotes an Infodemic and Why it is Dangerous 57 7.2 Infodemiology—How to Address an Infodemic Situation 59 8 Coping Successfully with the COVID-19 Pandemic from a Psychological Perspective 61 8.1 The WHO Guide for Adults 61 8.2 The WHO Guide for Children and Adolescents 61 8.3 “Be Kind to Your Mind”—A Brief Guide by the CDC 61 8.4 Overall Societal Management of the COVID-19 Pandemic 63 What You Learned f rom This essential 66 Bibliography 67 Read More 70 Companion Website to the Book 70 Index 71 Index 71 Already, the COVID-19 pandemic has left a deep mark on all levels of human activity and sentiment. As far as the best possible management of the situation is concerned, it is not only up to governments and experts in health systems, but ultimately up to each individual to act appropriately. Understanding the psychological background and the societal context is essential. This essential is also intended to make a contribution in the sense of joint and successful coping. This Springer essential is a translation of the original German 1st edition COVID-19 und Psychologie by John G. Haas, published by Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature in 2020. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically different from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors. The Content The role of the human psyche in the context of epidemics and pandemics The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psyche and society Successful coping with the COVID-19 pandemic in individual and societal contexts. The Target Groups Practitioners from social and health care professions (physicians, psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists); decision makers from politics, economy and society People interested in psychology The Author John G. Haas is a qualified psychologist, entrepreneur and innovator. He teaches psychology, data science and future studies at two Austrian universities of applied sciences. The main focus of his work is the research and development of psychosocial services in the context of digital applications. Among other things, he was responsible for the development of the award-winning "fem:help" app, which was offered as a free service by the Austrian federal government. He is currently working on various projects on the topics of COVID-19, digital health and infodemiology