[ad_1]
An analysis by a Columbia University psychiatry professor published in the New York Times: “Many people hesitate to wear masks due to implicit group pressures and concerns about what others might think. Public health campaigns are essential to change habits “
Public health campaigns and ongoing messages inviting you to wear masks. This is what an American psychiatrist believes should be done for everyone to wear the protective device. Robert Klitzman, professor of Psychiatry and director of the Master’s program in Bioethics at Columbia University, in an article published by the New York Times, analyzed the social and psychological dynamics that move those who cover their mouth and nose and, vice versa. , to those who continue to violate one of the main anti-contagion rules related to the coronavirus. “Masks are essential to protect ourselves and others from Covid-19, but nobody likes to wear them. They are hot and uncomfortable, they impede breathing, cloud glasses, hide facial expressions, make communication difficult, and feel uncomfortable, ”Klitzman writes. “As a psychiatrist – read Klitzman’s reflection – I also saw how they create complex interpersonal dynamics” (COVID, LIVE UPDATES – THE SPECIAL).
The mask and the pressures of social groups
See also
School, back to school with staggered tickets and masks. PHOTO
The psychiatrist quotes the sociologist Erving Goffman to point out that “within social groups, people generally try to avoid behaving in ways that others might see as stigmatizing” and because of this “many people hesitate to wear masks due to the implicit pressures of the group and concerns about what others might think. ”Klitzman argues that” in general, people want to be appreciated and accepted, not rejected or rejected, “and therefore,” try to appear friendly and open, not hostile, paranoid or fearful. “
The importance of public health campaigns
deepening
Coronavirus, guide for the choice and use of masks
So what do you do to overcome these social obstacles? Public health campaigns are critical to Klitzman. The doctor cites a number of cases in which people’s behavior has generally changed from the past. “Cold smoking has become very frowned upon, even though it has taken years of medical research and public health campaigns. Before 9/11, you could temporarily leave your suitcase in the airport terminal to go to the bathroom; now this triggers fear and police intervention, a concept reinforced by incessant incessant public messages: ‘If you see something, say something.’
The example of condom use in the fight against AIDS
deepening
Coronavirus, everything you need to know about masks
“In the mid-1990s, Klitzman recalls, as a faculty member of the Columbia School of Public Health, I participated in heated debates about whether or not I should stigmatize people who don’t use condoms. Many advocates for AIDS sufferers have argued that “we would blame the victim” as people living with HIV would be forced to disclose that they have the virus. But public health experts insisted, arguing that anyone who is sexually active with multiple partners should have used a condom, not just those who were HIV positive. Celebrities like Magic Johnson have reinforced the message by publicly disclosing their infections and urging safer sexual practices, helping to increase condom use. “
The use of the mask and psychological factors
See also
Classes start for 5.6 million students, News and anti-Covid rules
Whether or not to wear a mask would also depend on psychological factors. “According to studies – says Klitzman – people who have had a personal experience with a particular risk believe that it is more likely to occur and value it more in their decisions. In general, young people have met fewer people with severe symptoms of Covid-19 and are therefore less concerned. Research also suggests that the more people who see other people wearing masks, the more likely they are to wear one. Exposure to groups that cover their faces – concludes the psychiatrist – makes people feel less strange doing it ”.
