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Here goes a long one... The crowded beach scenes and other evidence of “rule-flouting” underline again that, although the pandemic we are facing is fundamentally a health situation, it is also fundamentally a social, psychological and behavioural situation. 1/
Many of us viewed those scenes with judgement - on the people, on the government, on burger vans for disseminating their fare in little boxes that conveniently recycle as toilets. 2/
But all behaviour is complex, and, as an assessment, “Covidiots” little inspires us to learn from the mistakes. What can this situation teach us about human behaviour, and particularly collective action in large scale society? 3/
Back at the start, staying home was perceived as a collective sacrifice for outcomes that would benefit us all. Individual and collective safety was threatened by something we didn’t know or understand, except for its deathly effects. 4/
We looked to those around us, our loved ones, friends, colleagues, bosses, screens and, perhaps most of all, our government to help figure out what to think, feel and do. 5/
We were united together in our purpose to save lives and protect the NHS. For a time, out there on our doorsteps, we *were* the NHS, much like Liverpool fans are the Liverpool team. Others’ suffering was our suffering. 6/
What has happened that we are again a nation divided in our resolve and our behaviour, even as C19 still circulates? Is the threat seen to be over? Does a reduced sense of threat reduce our mutual inter-reliance? Do the interests of our diverse collective no longer align? 7/
Did (these) people socially distance primarily because a seemingly trustworthy and competent government told them to - but then that authority appeared not to be so trustworthy and competent after all, 8/
...thereby removing the motivation to keep social distance and re-legitimising an individualist stance (“I’ll make my own decisions about what’s in my best interests”) and the simple pleasure of a day at the beach? 9/
There are many levels and dimensions to the ways people think about interdependence in social situations, and research is only really starting to investigate this systematically (e.g., https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpspp0000166) 10/
Our appraisals of interdependence change as we perceive the situation to change - what has informed our changing perceptions of interdependence, with each other and with the government, over these last few weeks to so reduce our sense of duty, togetherness, and cooperation? 11/
Perhaps I’ve been reading too much interdependence theory lately and these are the wrong questions, but I can’t help feeling that someone somewhere making the decisions and trying to implement them should be reading it too… 12/12
