Psycho Social Approaches To The Covid 19 Pandemic

This book explores how meaning-making during the COVID-19 pandemic, and specifically during the period of the April 2020 lockdowns, may be derived from shared lived experience among participants, residing in diverse geographical regions. This study conducted 46 in-depth interviews with Greek participants residing in 13 district countries and 23 cities around the globe and argues that meaning making of the pandemic derives from shared lived experiences of radical change and everyday transformations, fearful as well as well as hopeful perceptions of crisis and trauma emerging through loss of life before the pandemic.

This highly topical edited book documents the community response to Covid-19 across national contexts, exploring the widespread development and mobilisation of community initiatives and groups. It provides rich analysis of case studies from the Global North and South, including South Africa, the USA, India, China, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Australia, the UK, Turkey, and Argentina. The Covid-19 pandemic motivated a significant community response globally, with the widespread development and mobilisation of "bottom up" community initiatives and groups. These community responses were an essential yet often unseen and unrecognised means by which people survived the pandemic. This book asks questions such as how were community responses to Covid-19 shaped by national, cultural and political processes and phenomena; how did community responses to Covid-19 interact with public policies, on health, education, and social welfare; and what are the likely political implications of the community response to Covid-19? Discussing the provision of abortion care in Latin America, the support to marginalized communities in Kolkata, and the mobilisation of carnival "krewes" in New Orleans, to give a few examples, the text adopts and develops a novel socio-cultural psychological approach, weaving together contributions from scholars working in diverse disciplinary fields. The text highlights the importance of integrating multiple levels of analysis, including psychological, sociological, and political/ideological, to investigate how communities respond to crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and how they can plan for and manage future crises. This is essential reading for academics and students in psychology and the social sciences, as well as policy-makers, charities, and third-sector organisations.

This edited volume examines the psychosocial transformations experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, and envisions those that might lead to a more equitable society as we ‘open up’. The book integrates psychoanalysis, sociology, cultural studies, and psychology to address three main areas: personal experiences of the lockdown, new formations of power and desire that the lockdown has shaped, and global concerns related to the pandemic. Within those three areas, the chapters discuss key themes that include the uses of space during lockdown; experiences of death, loss, and domestic violence; race and the pandemic; technology, media, and viral media; chronic illness; handwashing and COVID-19; and conspiracy theories. Drawing together academics and practitioners with a common vision of social justice and active pedagogy, the contents of this volume combine experiential writing with cutting-edge, theoretically-informed interdisciplinary debates. The book advances and demonstrates the productive diversity of psychosocial studies, drawing on psychoanalytic theories, critical psychologies, critical theories, critical race theories, process philosophies, affect theories, and critical pedagogy. In doing so, it will appeal to scholars across the social sciences.

This manifesto is motivated by the daunting psychosocial issues that were so strikingly revealed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Of particular interest is the collective denial of facts, which resulted in public health policy mistakes and fostered distrust. In hindsight, this could have been prevented. Boccara shows how the core psychosocial response to the pandemic observed in most countries turned out to be wishing for it to either magically go away, as if it had never happened or be dealt with in an effortless way. Magical thinking and, as a consequence denying reality, often prevailed. As such, the psychosocial dynamics deepened the denial even further as several countries ended-up deciding to “live with the virus”. Yet, deliberately choosing endemicity of the coronavirus may lead to insurmountable challenges. Humanity is, therefore, truly finding itself at a turning point. Boccara argues that successfully facing systemic challenges ahead will require societies to systematically take into account ways in which psychosocial dynamics -particularly those operating at the societal unconscious level- impact public policy and societal level dialogue. By this, we mean understanding how mental representations and fantasies, shared anxieties, and social defenses mobilized against those anxieties impact the society; in other words how nations function as social systems. There has probably never been a more critical time than now for societies worldwide to approach critical decisions from a psychosocial perspective. Failing to do so could lead to psychosocial tipping points whereas the world as whole would increasingly mobilized regressed defenses that would make it impossible for societies to manage such challenges. There comes a time when ideas potentially capable of profoundly changing the world must be brought to the centers of decision making. That time is now upon us.

Part of a mini series of Focus books on COVID-19 in Malaysia, the chapters in this book addresses the psychosocial impact on the pandemic and ways in which people have learned to develop the ability to be more resilient despite the challenges of living and working during this public health crisis. Covering a range of topics including life under lockdown, working on the frontlines, and the rapid adaptation to online teaching, the contributors highlight the pervasiveness of the pandemic on Malaysian society, identified factors that potentially increase the psychosocial impact of the pandemic on different segments of the population and how Malaysians have found ways to cope throughout this period. This is an opportunity to witness how researchers from multiple disciplines can join forces during challenging times. There are a great many lessons to be learned from the successes and failures in responding to the pandemic and the measures that have been necessary to contain it. A fascinating read for scholars with an interest in crisis management in non-Western contexts, especially those with a particular interest in Malaysia, or Southeast Asia more generally.

This new volume presents a holistic scenario of the challenges of providing mental health and psychosocial support to areas around the world with the most vulnerable populations during the tragic COVID-19 pandemic. The book synthesizes over 350 interviews with mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) professionals on the ground in countries around the world, discussing the lack of services and providing strategies for implementing mental health and psychosocial support in such situations going forward. The book is a first look at MHPSS during the COVID-19 pandemic with the hope that it will inspire and generate action for future worldwide mental health and psychosocial support responses. This essential book is a call to action for cultural, linguistic, and contextual actions that addresses inclusiveness of the most vulnerable and unheard communities and that re-establishes resilience through mental health and psychosocial community-led programs. The volume is an analysis by a seasoned humanitarian worker with over 30 years of direct experience with the most vulnerable communities, with contributions from several colleagues. They help frame COVID-19 as a systemic loss of protective factors, where communities collapsed psychologically, socially, and economically.

This comprehensive resource provides a one-stop information repository, exploring all psychological aspects of Covid-19. Divided into three sections, the book covers the psycho-social impact on society and individuals and our collective cooperative behaviour, as well as philanthropic efforts, coping strategies and technological interventions, and how lessons learned will help in preparedness for the future. Including case studies and the latest research from diverse scientific studies across different regions, this book examines how psycho-social paradigms changed as a result of the pandemic, and left their watermark on the human psyche. It also explores the coping strategies adopted to deal with this common aggressor and how the techniques varied in accordance with social, cultural and geographical factors. The final section offers new insights for the future, highlighting the psychological infrastructure required, the type of preparedness and handling strategies necessary to mitigate the impact of any future biogenic pandemics. Combining theory and practical application, this is a valuable reading for academics and researchers as well as practising psychologists, clinical psychologists, and law-makers who are concerned with mental health.

In the Psychological Insights for Understanding COVID-19 series, international experts introduce important themes in psychological science that engage with people’s unprecedented experience of the pandemic, drawing together chapters as they originally appeared before COVID-19 descended on the world. This book explores how COVID-19 has impacted society, and chapters examine a range of societal issues including leadership and politics, community, social status, welfare, social exclusion and accountability. Addressing the social and psychological processes that structure, and are structured by, our social contexts, it shows not only how groups and individuals can come together to manage global crises, but also how these crises can expose weaknesses in our society. The volume also reflects on how we can work together to rebuild society in the aftermath of the pandemic, by cultivating a shared sense of responsibility through social integration and responsible leadership. Showcasing theory and research on key topics germane to the global pandemic, the Psychological Insights for Understanding COVID-19 series offers thought-provoking reading for professionals, students, academics and policy makers concerned with the psychological consequences of COVID-19 for individuals, families and society.