Motivated Helplessness in the Coronavirus Pandemic: Experimental Evidence that Perceived Helplessness to Avoid the Virus Reduces Fear of Covid-19

IF 1 4区心理学 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology Pub Date : 2022-04-01 DOI:10.1521/jscp.2022.41.2.176

Uri Lifshin, M. Mikulincer, Mabelle Kretchner

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引用次数: 3

Abstract

Introduction: According to the motivated helplessness hypothesis, thinking that there is nothing to do to avoid the coronavirus may make people less afraid of being infected (Lifshin et al., 2020). Previous correlational evidence indicated that high levels of helplessness were associated with diminished fear of COVID-19 (Lifshin et al., 2020; Lifshin & Mikulincer, 2021). Method: We tested if manipulated perceived helplessness to avoid the virus using bogus messages (high, low or moderate helplessness) would reduce fear of COVID-19, state anxiety, and motivation for protective actions. Results: Supporting the hypothesis, in the high helplessness condition, higher perceived helplessness related to less fear of COVID-19, but this did not occur in the low and moderate helplessness control conditions. Perceived helplessness in the helplessness condition also indirectly reduced state anxiety and motivation for protective actions. Discussion: This research may advance the psychological study of helplessness and our understanding of human behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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冠状病毒大流行中的动机性无助:实验证据表明，为避免病毒而感受到的无助感会减少对Covid-19的恐惧

引言:根据动机性无助假说，认为没有办法避免冠状病毒可能会使人们不那么害怕被感染(Lifshin et al.， 2020)。先前的相关证据表明，高度的无助感与对COVID-19的恐惧减少有关(Lifshin et al.， 2020;Lifshin & Mikulincer, 2021)。方法:我们测试了使用虚假信息(高、低或中度无助感)来操纵感知无助感以避免病毒是否会减少对COVID-19的恐惧、状态焦虑和保护行动的动机。结果:支持假设，在高无助状态下，更高的感知无助感与更少的新冠肺炎恐惧相关，但在低、中无助控制条件下没有发生这种情况。无助条件下的感知无助也间接降低了状态焦虑和保护行为的动机。讨论:本研究可能会促进对新冠肺炎大流行期间人类无助心理的研究和对人类行为的理解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology Multiple-

CiteScore

2.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： This journal is devoted to the application of theory and research from social psychology toward the better understanding of human adaptation and adjustment, including both the alleviation of psychological problems and distress (e.g., psychopathology) and the enhancement of psychological well-being among the psychologically healthy. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) traditionally defined psychopathology (e.g., depression), common emotional and behavioral problems in living (e.g., conflicts in close relationships), the enhancement of subjective well-being, and the processes of psychological change in everyday life (e.g., self-regulation) and professional settings (e.g., psychotherapy and counseling). Articles reporting the results of theory-driven empirical research are given priority, but theoretical articles, review articles, clinical case studies, and essays on professional issues are also welcome. Articles describing the development of new scales (personality or otherwise) or the revision of existing scales are not appropriate for this journal.