Ebola is a cause for serious concern. However, the fear that this virus causes in many of us is not commensurate with the facts. How does it arise? To understand the nature of our reactions and not to panic helps psychotherapist Michel Lejoieau.
Michel Lejoyeux, psychotherapist, addiction psychology expert, author of several books, including Les secrets de nos comportements (Editions Plon, 2012).
Psychologies: Why does the Ebola virus scare us more than other diseases?
Michel Lejoieux: We are afraid of it for a very obvious reason: we are afraid of death. At different ages, it takes on its own forms: the fear of losing parents, experiencing the death of loved ones and, of course, the fear of dying oneself. It is this root fear inherent in our nature that is the cause of our fantasies related to the theme of death. None of us is able to see into the future, which is why we tend to imagine all the catastrophic scenarios. And this is precisely the specificity of the panic fear of the Ebola virus: we are afraid of what is happening now (the virus is spreading at a tremendous speed across the planet), and at the same time of what will happen. Our fear is overwhelming. We think: “What is happening is terrible, but tomorrow will be even worse.” Our anxiety turns into a kind of scenario: the usual fear of getting sick with something serious is gradually replaced by a catastrophic scenario that is formed from media news.
The catastrophic scenario is probably an epidemic that covers the whole world, like the plague or the “Spanish flu” in its time …
M. L .: Yes exactly. Ebola awakens our archaic fears. And the subjective scale of risks begins to operate: we are no longer afraid of what is actually dangerous. Let’s say the cigarette we smoke today is far more dangerous to our lives than Ebola. But Ebola is more scary.
And yet how to explain that many people are focused on the danger of a virus, the risk of which is still small?
M. L .: We are horrified by what we cannot control. But it is worth distinguishing between objective danger and your own sense of danger. A smoked cigarette is a real threat to our health, but we have an irrational feeling that we are protected from it. In the case of Ebola, the opposite is true. The objective threat, from the point of view of physicians, is not very great. But everything that is said around this, terrible TV reports, photographs and fantasies that arise in connection with this, lead us to the fact that the feeling of danger surpasses the objective situation. Ebola crystallizes our fears. The psychological mechanism of “transference” is triggered: this particular fear allows you not to be afraid of everything else. In fact, the fear of this disease provides an opportunity to some extent to distract from all the other fears that live in us. And it relieves us of the stress that we experience on other occasions. An unconscious psychological defense mechanism is activated, and within a few days we can be less afraid of cancer, stop worrying about relationships with a partner, worry about our work …
- Jon Kabat-Zinn: «Meditation strengthens the immune system»
It turns out that the mass psychosis around Ebola is caused primarily by our own fears?
M. L .: My hypothesis is that Ebola allows us to express our concerns in a socially acceptable way. You may be thinking, «I’m afraid our relationship is coming to an end,» «I’m afraid of losing my job,» or «I’m scared for my daughter.» But you don’t admit it publicly for fear of being misunderstood or judged. Ebola allows you to openly express your anxiety, and this is very valuable for the neurotics, which we all, in fact, are. Finally, we have the right to say: «I’m scared»! In essence, it gives us the opportunity to talk about ourselves… without talking about ourselves. It was as if the threat of a fever allowed him to express his fear, giving it a form acceptable in society.
But aren’t we risking exaggerating?
M. L .: Surely there are those who are trying to use the natural anxiety that Ebola can cause for political purposes, in particular given the geographical origin of the source of the virus. But this is nothing new: the use of fear to justify the actions of politicians. So I would urge not to succumb to media manipulation. There is also the danger that, when we are in the grip of overwhelming anxiety, we react by unwittingly adopting defensive tactics, sometimes preferring not to hear about it at all. I encountered this in the era of the discovery of HIV: some women and men, out of fear of the virus, refused to use condoms. Also today, some women are hesitant to get mammograms … precisely because they are afraid of breast cancer.
How not to panic?
M. L .: Keep a sober look at what is useful and what is really dangerous to health. If Ebola is your only concern, then you are indeed in danger. Because there are many diseases, much more severe, and they are much closer to you. So, as you take in all of these risks, stick to a reasonable (scientific) approach, even if you’re a bit irrational. It is important to trust medical experts and not fall for conspiracy theories! Try to look at this fear from a different, positive side: it has changed the lives of many people, some of them, for example, began to follow the rules of hygiene. Paradoxically, many of us are primarily concerned with external threats, but not our health. A sedentary lifestyle, stress, poor nutrition — this is what really threatens our health today. Not Ebola at all. I want to draw your attention to the fact that from the beginning of the epidemic to the present day, the virus has claimed fewer lives than tobacco takes in a week.
For more information about Ebola virus disease, visit the World Health Organization website, who.int