The society was divided into supporters and opponents of vaccination. On social networks, “anti-vaxxers” are scolded and accused of criminal selfishness and lack of intelligence. Indeed, is the vaccine really worse than the depressing statistics of diseases, lockdowns and bans?
In general, there is nothing new in this. Approximately the same thing happened 200 years ago, when during the mass vaccination against smallpox, the dark population did not understand the benefits of vaccinations and staged riots. Do you remember how, at the very beginning of the pandemic, everyone shied away from people of Asian appearance and accused them of spreading the coronavirus? Also nothing surprising: fear breeds hatred and clouds the mind.
Let’s leave the conspiracy theorists alone with their absurd theories like “a microchip is injected with the vaccine, with which the world government hopes to gain control over humanity.” There are not so many of them, they just scream too loudly. Most of those who are called anti-vaxxers and covid dissidents make arguments that look more like doubts than violent protests.
WHERE IS SO MUCH DISCLIFE?
Suppose many do not believe the authorities and ignore the appeals of celebrities. But there are infectious disease specialists and virologists who very convincingly debunk misconceptions! Where, finally, is the instinct of self-preservation, because the prospect of dying in intensive care should outweigh skepticism? Yet the irresponsible elements are stubbornly unwilling to be vaccinated, despite the restrictions and the risk of losing their jobs.
The easiest way is to call them ignoramuses who do not know how to think critically and filter information. But, for example, one of the leaders of the global anti-vaxur movement, Robert Kennedy Jr., has a Harvard undergraduate degree and a law school from the University of Virginia. You can’t call him a poorly educated dumbass. Meanwhile, it was he who spread the rumors about the insidious plan of Bill Gates to distribute microchips through the COVID-19 vaccine for the purpose of total surveillance.
Although Instagram immediately blocked the activist for disinformation, the idea managed to “go to the masses” and she found a lot of intelligent followers. So it’s not about education. What then?
EVERYTHING IS MUCH HARDER
According to clinical psychologist Genevieve Beaulieu-Peltier, in addition to religious beliefs, mental development or health status, a number of other factors explain the reluctance to get vaccinated.
“I mainly work with adult clients who suffer from personality, anxiety and affective disorders. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have constantly noted how general despondency, despair and a sense of hopelessness are growing. In fact, there is a whole kaleidoscope of emotions behind the refusal of vaccinations, which determines the choice and behavior of everyone.”
1. Misunderstanding and lack of information
Many people know almost nothing about the vaccine itself and do not understand the need for mass vaccination. Conflicting information makes my head spin. What is the use of vaccinations if after them they still get sick and infect others? Why vaccinate young people who are the least vulnerable to coronavirus? The lack of simple answers literally paralyzes thinking. As a result, people are completely confused and inactive.
2. Fear of injections and vaccines
In fact, 10 to 20 percent of adults are terrified of needles and syringes and the pain associated with them. This phenomenon has a name – trypanophobia. It would seem a trifle, but at the mere thought of the upcoming procedure, a person is so horrified that he tries with all his might to avoid it. In other cases, the possible side effect of the vaccine itself causes concern. People seem to be open to vaccination, but wait until the majority is vaccinated to make sure there are no delayed effects.
3. Feeling helpless
A major psychological barrier arises in response to predictions that, despite vaccination, the pandemic will not end soon, as new strains are constantly emerging. The frustration and apathy associated with a protracted crisis is aptly captured by the term “pandemic fatigue.” The feeling of hopelessness and the collapse of hopes can destroy any motivation, including the desire to make mandatory vaccinations.
4. Naive confidence
Some are fully aware of the danger of the coronavirus, but believe that they are not personally threatened by it. “I never get sick, I have a strong immune system!” Most often this is said by those who do not fully understand how the infection spreads, and do not really think about the detrimental consequences for their own health and the risks to others. Remarkably, they are not among the ardent opponents of vaccination.
5. Suspicious attitude towards ingredients
There are people who are incredibly afraid of any intervention in the body. They experience extreme discomfort at the thought that they will be injected with “something incomprehensible” and perceive the COVID-19 vaccine as a deliberate infection, invasion and aggression. Since the chemical composition of the vaccine is not known to them, and the scientific formulas are incomprehensible, they are difficult to persuade or flatly refuse vaccination.
6. Anxiety and denial
We react differently to disturbing events. Some begin to act and look for a way out of the stalemate, others rely on loved ones, others simply give up. But there are those who go into denial. This is an automatic, unconscious reaction of defense, something like a band-aid, which temporarily seals wounds. In the context of a pandemic, this can be expressed in denial of the seriousness of the disease, denial of one’s own vulnerability, and even denial of the virus itself.
7. Rejection and isolation
As social beings, we suffer when we are neglected. Some experience it especially painfully. It seems to them that society is turning away from them on purpose, but at the same time they do not recognize the official directives and rules adopted in connection with the pandemic. If precautionary measures are announced, they think they are being infringed upon.
They soon realize that the authorities are not going to make an exception for them, and the rest simply ridicule or shame them for their irresponsibility. And then the past traumas of rejection again remind of themselves. They seem to be torn apart: they feel like outcasts, but stubbornly refuse to follow the instructions. In the end, they decide to join the covid dissidents: at least these people will listen and understand.
8. Addiction and Conflict Avoidance
Weak-willed, indecisive individuals are too dependent on the opinions of their immediate environment. They doubt themselves all the time, therefore they shift current decisions to others, extol their virtues and strive to bypass sharp corners at any cost. In the case of vaccination, their choice and position is completely dependent on what their friend or partner thinks about it.
9. Crisis of confidence
Several of the above factors – suspicion, denial, rejection – are often combined in one “cocktail”. Gradually, a concentrated prejudice against the actions of health organizations and the pharmaceutical industry is formed from it. As a result, there is a crisis of confidence and a suspicious attitude towards reasonable sanitary and epidemiological measures.
Belief in conspiracy theories and the denial of any authorities in one way or another affects the way of thinking and personal identity. And this inevitably leads to social polarization. “You can talk for a long time about the psychological barriers that make you doubt and refuse vaccines,” says Dr. Beaulieu-Peltier. “The bottom line is that you need to figure out why a person thinks the way he does.
Someone needs clear explanations, someone just wants someone close to be around during the vaccination. There are those who just need to be heard. As for those who are afraid of control, they would certainly be satisfied with some intermediate alternative, for example, regular PCR tests.
In order to get out of the crisis and defeat the pandemic together, we should be more attentive to each other. I believe that state structures will come to this conclusion and will be able to build a flexible approach that will help convey information in an accessible language. After all, before demanding respect for the laws, one must understand why not everyone is ready to comply with them, ”finishes Beaulieu-Pelletier.