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Coping with COVID-19: social representations underlying blaming processes and fear
Nahia Idoiaga Mondragon1, Naiara Berasategi Sancho2, Naiara Ozamiz-Etxebarria1
1Department of Evolutionary and Educational Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spain.
Psychology & Health
|March 8, 2021
Summary
Early COVID-19 pandemic responses in Spain showed familiar blaming and fatigue, but lockdown introduced new distrust and resilience. Understanding these social representations is key to managing the crisis.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Public Health Communication
- Pandemic Studies
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented public health challenges.
- Understanding public perception and social representations is crucial for effective crisis management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the social representations of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain during its early stages.
- To investigate emotional and cognitive patterns before and after the declaration of a state of emergency and lockdown.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Grid Elaboration Method for free association with the term "coronavirus".
- Collected data from 1037 participants in Spain.
- Employed Iramuteq software for lexical analysis of responses.
Main Results:
- Pre-lockdown responses mirrored previous pandemics with upward/downward blaming, anger, and fatigue.
- Post-lockdown, new representations emerged, including "paralyzing distrust" and "resilience".
- Analysis revealed "fear of pandemic" encompasses diverse underlying emotions.
Conclusions:
- Social representations of the COVID-19 pandemic evolved significantly with the implementation of lockdown measures.
- Identifying blaming and fear dynamics offers practical insights for public health interventions.
- Understanding these evolving social representations is vital for navigating future pandemic crises.
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