COVID-19: A Threat to Human Existence, Mental Health, and Social Connections - Essay Sample

Introduction

COVID-19 pandemic is a threat to human existence. The epidemic not only strains the healthcare and financial systems of a country but also poses significant mental health consequences. According to Hagerty et al. (2020), COVID-19 threatens the various elements of human motivations, including social connections. COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease frequently spread by close contact with infected persons. As such, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the need for humans to stay away from one another and maintain social distance. In a bid to curb further spread of the disease, some countries have implemented a stay-at-home order. Considering that humans are social beings, the measures that are undertaken to curb the spread of COVID-19 have adverse mental consequences. According to Kar et al. (2020), mental health issues have been gradually increasing following the outbreak of this pandemic. Various psychological theories, such as the psychodynamic, object relations, attachment, and attribution theories, are employed in this analysis to explain the mental situation of most people amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Psychological Consequences

Accordingly, a large number of people in the world today are experiencing the psychological consequences of COVID-19. The psychological impact of the disease can range from moderate to severe. Kar et al. (2020) stipulated that the persistent mental condition due to COVID-19 is anxiety. Vulnerable people, especially the elderly ones, are confined in their homes since COVID-19 has proved to be deadly among older adults. In addition to that, most people have opted to stay at home whenever they are not attending to a significant issue. Besides, Marcinko et al. (2020) claimed that the psychodynamic processes are critical in understanding and managing people and public mental health problems associated with pandemics such as COVID-19. The approach aims at spreading panic, stigmatization, xenophobia, maladaptive behavior, defensive reaction, and over-reactions. WHO laid out some recommendations aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. Some people have responded positively and abided by the measures. However, other people are still in denial since they have not changed their behavior regardless of the deadly consequences of COVID-19.

Psychodynamic Approach

The psychodynamic approach focuses on problematic behavior that influences cause, symptoms, and other things people do to prevent themselves from any unacceptable thoughts that could lead to stress. The reactions serve as defense mechanisms. A majority of the people who find it hard to abide by the rules of the WHO do so since they have not accepted that COVID-19 has hit their country. According to Marcinko et al. (2020), the psychodynamic perspective emphasizes defense mechanisms and the unconscious mind or the id where upsetting and stressful feelings are too painful to be housed in one’s mind. Such thoughts influence behavior in a myriad of ways. Some of the behavior changes noticed in this period of COVID-19 outbreak include blaming others or disavowal, denial, suppression, and dissociation.

Consequently, object relations theory focuses on the relations that a person has with significant others, including objects. Association with objects is the first step towards personality development (Beit-Hallahmi et al., 2010). In addition to that, people tend to seek relationships before gratification. The stay-at-home order could lead to the development of less healthy personalities due to the lack of integrated object relations. Such people can hardly represent good and bad at the same time. Instead, Beit-Hallahmi et al. (2010) argued that good and bad qualities are split from each other. The COVI-19 pandemic could make individuals disintegrate from society and develop a disintegrated personality, which eventually leads to severe personality disorders. According to Beit-Hallahmi et al. (2010), fragmented and split-off figures interfere with the ability of a person to develop a sense of self and a sense of other people. The development of split-off personalities does not feel like they are themselves across various situations. Such people may feel different about themselves and their lives, which is the situation that most people in the world today are in (Beit-Hallahmi et al., 2010). More so, people feel as if their relationship with their partners is different. The bottom line is that people are not content with their present situations. As such, they have adjusted their personalities to try and accommodate the present-day occurrences.

Consequently, Moccia et al. (2020) indicated that the attachment theory argues that intimate bonds built with caregivers during infancy are critical for social and emotional development. Stressful situations activate the attachment system. Importantly, a significant relationship exists between the patterns of attachments and an individual’s responsivity to stress. During this time of COVID-19, most adults are responding to pressure by demonstrating temperamental behavior. Similarly, Moccia et al. (2020) asserted that anxiously attached individuals rarely appropriately regulate their emotions. The attribution theory could also explain the people’s situation during these times of COVID-19. The approach seeks to explain how people explain behavior and circumstances. For some people, they feel that COVID-19 is not a reality but a conspiracy from governments. Others are continually blaming the government and other people for the continued spread of the disease, which are examples of the attribution theory in explaining people’s mental health status.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the COVID-19 situation in the world today has created intensive uncertainties. The issue has led to mental health issues ranging from depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. In a bid to fight the spread of COVID-19, the WHO designed guidelines that include social distancing and stay-at-home orders. Such measures limit interactions with others, yet humans are social beings. Different psychological theories such as attribution, attachment, objects-relations, and psychodynamic perspectives can help in explaining the mental health status of most people during this period. The conclusion derived from this analysis is that COVID-19 has created economic and health care issues in most parts of the world and has had a role in causing mental health issues as well.

References

Beit-Hallahmi, B., Conforti, M., Larson, P., Quackenbush, R., Furniss, J. M., Halligan, F. R., Halligan, F. R., Larson, P., Weldon, C., Greene, M., Corley, E. B., & Sauder-MacGuire, A. (2010). Object relations theory. Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion, 633–634. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6_468

Hagerty, S. L., & Williams, L. M. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on mental health: the interactive roles of brain biotypes and human connection. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health, 100078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2020.100078

Kar, S. K., Yasir Arafat, S. M., Kabir, R., Sharma, P., & Saxena, S. K. (2020). Coping with mental health challenges during COVID-19. Medical Virology: From Pathogenesis to Disease Control, 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4814-7_16

Marcinko, D., Jakovljevic, M., Jaksic, N., Bjedov, S., & Mindoljevic Drakulic, A. (2020). The importance of psychodynamic approach during COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatria Danubina, 32(1), 15–21. https://doi.org/10.24869/psyd.2020.15

Moccia, L., Janiri, D., Pepe, M., Dattoli, L., Molinaro, M., De Martin, V., Chieffo, D., Janiri, L., Fiorillo, A., Sani, G., & Di Nicola, M. (2020). Affective temperament, attachment style, and the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak: An early report on the Italian general population. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 87, 75–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.048