De-escalation: why there are different behaviors in front of it

The current situation is unprecedented, so on a psychological level it is a great challenge. We are facing, in Spain, the so-called de-escalation phase after having carried out a confinement in our homes in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

This de-escalation phase implies greater freedom of movement, and, later, being able to meet with family and friends, being able to go to the terraces of the bars, to shops, etc. Therefore, a priori, it is a more favorable situation for our mental health.

However, the de-escalation phase is being carried out in different ways that may surprise you due to their differences. For example, we find people who are afraid to go out, people who break the rules and seem not to be aware of the risks, those who are more responsible and try to comply with the instructions, etc.

• Related article: "The 7 types of anxiety (characteristics, causes and symptoms)"

Why do these differences in attitude arise in de-escalation?

These are the factors that come into play when explaining this phenomenon.

Risk perception

A very important factor is the perception of risk. The human being tends to think that misfortunes are not going to happen to him; it is a defense mechanism that makes our life more bearable. Due to this bias, actions are taken such as not complying with health recommendations, thinking that we are not going to get infected or that if we do, it will have no consequences.

However, there are people who have a greater perception of risk, which can be very positive in situations like the ones we live in, since fear helps us protect ourselves, but if this probability happens to feel like certainty, the person plunges into great anxiety and may develop psychological problems such as agoraphobia or anxiety about disease.

Ideally, therefore, try to keep this bias under control and think that probability of being infected (and contagious) even if it is not something safe nor does it mean the worst of the results, and adopt the corresponding security measures.

Responsibility

Another key factor is responsibility; who have this characteristic among their personality attributes. In this situation, you can act responsibly, that is, being aware that the consequences of the events are of the utmost importance and acting accordingly. On the contrary, if you tend to be irresponsible, you are more likely to act thinking about what the person wants and not about the consequences in the medium and long term.

Frustration tolerance

Tolerance to frustration is another key when it comes to explaining interindividual differences. This is the characteristic that allows people to adapt to changes and, especially, to what has truncated their plans, your wishes…

If the person has an adequate tolerance for frustration, it is more likely that he has adapted better to the current situation and that he can carry out behaviors with limitations.

Acceptance of standards

Very linked to all this, we have the acceptance of standards. There are people who adequately tolerate the imposition of rules or limitations, generally because they have had to abide by them in various situations throughout their lives. For people who have followed guidelines, it is easier to maintain the measures that are being set in the de-escalation phase.

Degree of individualism

One aspect to highlight is if the person is governed more by individualism or by a vision of social good. There are differences between people who behave thinking of themselves, for example, “that I go out without a mask, nothing happens, it is just a person”, or those who think about their role as a whole, for example, "if I go out without a mask, another person can do the same and no one would comply with the recommendation."

Social awareness is very important in the sense of not only worrying about our well-being and not making ourselves sick, but also knowing that each individual action affects the whole of society and even if we do not get sick, we can be the ones transmitters.

Patience

Another noteworthy point is being aware that every action counts. There are people who think, "For once that I do ...", "for a person that I visit ...", "for a while that is sitting in the park ..." and It may be true that this simple gesture does not involve a high risk, but we must bear in mind that if all people took this attitude of minimizing the risks and consequences of our actions, the probabilities of increasing infections would rise enormously.

• You may be interested: "Recommendations for irregular sleep during confinement"

Conclution

With all these aspects that we have mentioned, what we want is to transmit a balance in terms of how we manage this new situation. We must be aware of the danger to which we expose ourselves in the face of this new pandemic that has devastated us, but that does not mean that we have to act exclusively out of fear. If we are aware, we take the security measures and we respect the current regulations, we do not have to stop carrying out the permitted activities.

If you feel that going abroad is causing you anxiety, fear or anger when you see that not everyone meets the rules, we recommend that you seek professional help. Since Mariva Psychologists, we will be happy to help you.