There has been a wide range of responses to government guidelines on social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. While some individuals take it extremely seriously, others have largely ignored the instructions, given the absence of any immediate, visible consequences.
Marshall University’s Dr. Marianna Linz, chair of the Department of Psychology, can speak to the concerns about those who have been socializing in groups outside of their households and/or continuing life without many changes in regards to social distancing guidelines, established to slow the spread of the Coronavirus.
“It’s a situation where they think about things a little differently so what, to us, looks like risky behavior does not feel risky to them,” she said. “It is the result of a belief in a personal fable that says ‘bad things don’t happen to me.’”
Linz is a professor of psychology, whose teaching interests include child development, child assessment, integrated assessment and advanced development. Her research includes attention deficit learning disorders and issues relevant to Appalachian children and their families.
She can be reached by e-mail at Linz@marshall.edu.