Coronavirus crisis: How to act in the face of catastrophists and anti-solidarity?

There are three different types of anti-solidarity people, they are a minority, but we must neutralize it. Many reactions are born of fear, let”s try to address them with emotions just as contagious as solidarity. To protect ourselves from sensationalism: let”s not stop searching, investigating and reflecting.

In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, a great solidarity movement has been born, but of course, there are people who resist that solidarity. For example, there are infected people who do not admit quarantine and threaten to break it, as a representative of a police force reminded us a few days ago. We must also put in place means to face anti-solidarity resistance such as catastrophism, sensationalism, mistrust of everything and everyone … And of course, it is a bad time to “console” yourself with addictive substances – such as alcohol, other drugs, psychotropic drugs.

TYPES OF ANTI-SOLIDARITY PEOPLE AND ACTION PROTOCOL

What to do then? I propose a kind of protocol that should be developed a little more and carefully. We are going to address three situations, three different groups of people:

FIRST GROUP: PEOPLE WITH FEAR

As we have seen, these people may be dominated by a powerful emotion: fear. As an emotion, it is the most contagious environmental element . So let”s reinforce other emotions that are also contagious, although more adapted:

1. Interest, knowledge. Do you know what we are talking about? Do you know the consequences? Let”s read or watch this document, video, newscast together and discuss it. Here we are appealing to knowledge, to cognitions, but also to the emotional system of inquiry.
2. Attachment, solidarity. Do you know the consequences for this one, that one, for those around you, for your city? Wouldn”t you be happier and more content collaborating? There is no greater pleasure than responsible and supportive collaboration. Even if you have your (reasonable) doubts about these measures.

A large percentage of the people in question, if they have not responded in solidarity before, will do so before authority figures who are capable of making them think and feel those ideas with respect and care.

Whatever some opportunistic media and people say (who, in some way, seek to justify these anti-solidarity tendencies of themselves), from a scientific point of view we know that the majority of the population willingly accepts the frustrations of solidarity and responsibility.

Whatever some opportunistic media and people say (who, in some way, seek to justify these anti-solidarity tendencies of themselves), from a scientific point of view we know that the majority of the population willingly accepts the frustrations of solidarity and responsibility.

SECOND GROUP: PEOPLE WITH SOME MENTAL DISORDERS

Within that minority, some have real chronic relationship problems (mental disorders) that make it very difficult for them to follow the rules or, for example, stay at home for 14 days. This is the case of those who suffer from claustrophobia (and claustrophobia is more prevalent, more frequent, than coronavirus disease).

They can also be people with more serious disorders, such as psychosis or incontinent or acting relationship organizations . In these cases, they may need to be advised of the need to consult with a mental health professional . And for two reasons:

1. As we often say humorously, having to consult can be more scary than the fear itself, and the person can contain himself as long as he does not consult “with the shrink.”
2. A good mental health professional can help alleviate most of these situations, either with psychological help and / or psychotherapy, or with drugs.

THIRD GROUP: ANTI-SOLIDARITY RESISTANT MINORITY

In spite of everything, a minority of that minority will reject such aid and will refuse to behave in solidarity: that is where, perhaps, there is no choice but to apply “public order measures” . Before, try the previous two steps again. But there are people, a small minority, very resistant: out of contempt, self-sufficiency, extreme distrust …

It will be necessary to apply systems of public order that, however, have been so “happily” applied time and again against the solidarity resistance. In this case, it is an anti-solidarity resistance. But we have to do it with a careful, progressive and democratic “protocol”, so that it has to be applied as little as possible.

AVOID THE DANGER OF CATASTROPHISM AND SENSATIONALISM

From a psychological point of view, every crisis is an opportunity. Let us know how to look for its advantages. But for this, an initial danger is sensationalism and catastrophism, or the systematically paranoid attitude that prevents understanding and progress.

In the worst case, with the crisis we will lose money, contracts, economic means. But let”s not stop searching, investigating (another basic emotion). Inquire, reflect, discuss, for example about:

• What can we gain in the way of radical humanism: consider humanity as a whole in which everything can spread, for better and for worse.
• What can we gain in the way of radical environmentalism: everything that we do not do to take care of the planet and our human environment has to turn and is turning against us.