A dual-angle exploration towards understanding lapses in COVID-19 social responsibility

Breaking infection chains requires not just behaviours that allow individuals to stay healthy and uninfected (i.e. health protective behaviours) but also for those who are possibly infected to protect others from their harboured infection risk (i.e. socially responsible behaviours). However, sociall...

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Main Authors: LEE, Sean T. H., MAH, Jerome J. X., LEUNG, Angela K. Y.
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Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2024
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Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3930
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/5188/viewcontent/Dual_angle_exploration_towards_understanding_lapses_in_COVID_19_pvoa_cc_by.pdf
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spelling sg-smu-ink.soss_research-51882024-04-04T09:23:59Z A dual-angle exploration towards understanding lapses in COVID-19 social responsibility LEE, Sean T. H. MAH, Jerome J. X. LEUNG, Angela K. Y. Breaking infection chains requires not just behaviours that allow individuals to stay healthy and uninfected (i.e. health protective behaviours) but also for those who are possibly infected to protect others from their harboured infection risk (i.e. socially responsible behaviours). However, socially responsible behaviours entail costs without clear, immediate benefits to the individual, such that public health-risking lapses occur from time to time. In this important yet understudied area, the current exploratory study sought to identify possible psychological factors that may affect people's likelihood of engaging in socially responsible behaviours. Assuming that self-perceived infection should provide an impetus to engage in socially responsible behaviours, we contend that lapses could occur in two scenarios: discounting of possible infection or prioritizing self-interest over collective good. Through a vignette portraying COVID-19 relevant symptoms presented to culturally diverse participants (Singapore and United States; N = 645), we found dispositional denialism (an ego defence mechanism) to exert a negative indirect effect on likelihood of engaging in socially responsible behaviours through its negative association with perceived infection status. Further, social value orientation and cultural orientation appeared to significantly moderate the positive association between perceived infection status and the likelihood of engaging in socially responsible behaviours, such that the positive association held only when individuals espouse both a prosocial value orientation and a collectivistic cultural orientation. Further analyses also point toward a possible attenuation of this positive association when individuals espouse a vertical cultural orientation. Future directions and implications for public health management are discussed. 2024-02-01T08:00:00Z text application/pdf https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3930 info:doi/10.1111/ajsp.12605 https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/5188/viewcontent/Dual_angle_exploration_towards_understanding_lapses_in_COVID_19_pvoa_cc_by.pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Research Collection School of Social Sciences eng Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University COVID-19 cultural differences denialism optimistic bias public health socially responsible behaviours Applied Behavior Analysis Public Health Social Psychology
institution Singapore Management University
building SMU Libraries
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider SMU Libraries
collection InK@SMU
language English
topic COVID-19
cultural differences
denialism
optimistic bias
public health
socially responsible behaviours
Applied Behavior Analysis
Public Health
Social Psychology
spellingShingle COVID-19
cultural differences
denialism
optimistic bias
public health
socially responsible behaviours
Applied Behavior Analysis
Public Health
Social Psychology
LEE, Sean T. H.
MAH, Jerome J. X.
LEUNG, Angela K. Y.
A dual-angle exploration towards understanding lapses in COVID-19 social responsibility
description Breaking infection chains requires not just behaviours that allow individuals to stay healthy and uninfected (i.e. health protective behaviours) but also for those who are possibly infected to protect others from their harboured infection risk (i.e. socially responsible behaviours). However, socially responsible behaviours entail costs without clear, immediate benefits to the individual, such that public health-risking lapses occur from time to time. In this important yet understudied area, the current exploratory study sought to identify possible psychological factors that may affect people's likelihood of engaging in socially responsible behaviours. Assuming that self-perceived infection should provide an impetus to engage in socially responsible behaviours, we contend that lapses could occur in two scenarios: discounting of possible infection or prioritizing self-interest over collective good. Through a vignette portraying COVID-19 relevant symptoms presented to culturally diverse participants (Singapore and United States; N = 645), we found dispositional denialism (an ego defence mechanism) to exert a negative indirect effect on likelihood of engaging in socially responsible behaviours through its negative association with perceived infection status. Further, social value orientation and cultural orientation appeared to significantly moderate the positive association between perceived infection status and the likelihood of engaging in socially responsible behaviours, such that the positive association held only when individuals espouse both a prosocial value orientation and a collectivistic cultural orientation. Further analyses also point toward a possible attenuation of this positive association when individuals espouse a vertical cultural orientation. Future directions and implications for public health management are discussed.
format text
author LEE, Sean T. H.
MAH, Jerome J. X.
LEUNG, Angela K. Y.
author_facet LEE, Sean T. H.
MAH, Jerome J. X.
LEUNG, Angela K. Y.
author_sort LEE, Sean T. H.
title A dual-angle exploration towards understanding lapses in COVID-19 social responsibility
title_short A dual-angle exploration towards understanding lapses in COVID-19 social responsibility
title_full A dual-angle exploration towards understanding lapses in COVID-19 social responsibility
title_fullStr A dual-angle exploration towards understanding lapses in COVID-19 social responsibility
title_full_unstemmed A dual-angle exploration towards understanding lapses in COVID-19 social responsibility
title_sort dual-angle exploration towards understanding lapses in covid-19 social responsibility
publisher Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University
publishDate 2024
url https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3930
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/5188/viewcontent/Dual_angle_exploration_towards_understanding_lapses_in_COVID_19_pvoa_cc_by.pdf
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