The Psychology of Mask Refusal During the Pandemic

Masks mandated in Toronto indoor public spaces:

Toronto has just mandated wearing a mask in all indoor public spaces, and yet, people are balking at this new rule. What is it that makes some citizens willing to follow these guidelines and others totally unwilling to do so?

I think that there’s a psychology to mask refusal and a certain type of person who refuses to cover their face. I break down these people into three character types; each of whom have their own psychological motivations for refusing to wear a mask.

The three types of people who refuse to wear a mask:

Type one: People who just don’t care:

This is a diverse group, but what all the members have in common is selfishness, narcissism and callousness to the impact of their actions on others.

This group includes:

1. Teens and youth whose immaturity causes them to be selfish, short-sighted and oblivious about who they might infect.

2. Antisocial individuals who are incapable of caring about others or having a social conscience, regardless of the circumstances.

3. Angry, out-of-control people who actually want to infect others and will even spit in peoples’ faces. This group is comprised of people who are functioning at a primitive psychological level. They’re driven by rage and uncontrolled impulse as opposed to logic, reason and compassion.

Type two: People who just don’t get it:

There are a few reasons why people are clueless. Some are immature and inexperienced, while others simply refuse to see the truth.

This group includes:

1. Teens and youth who have a delusion of invincibility. They haven’t experienced illness or hardship and they think that they can overcome anything.

2. People who are actively in denial. These are individuals who choose to remain ignorant despite all the available evidence. They refuse to accept the reality of the pandemic, even when friends and loved ones are dropping all around them. They insist that Covid-19 is less serious than the flu, and at any rate, it can’t touch them.

Type three: People driven by political and social ideology:

Ideology can be as powerful as religion and ideologies can be as rigid and unyielding as religious fanatics.

This group includes:

1. Right-wingers who have swallowed the lie that Covid-19 is hoax and that mask-wearing is a scam.

2. Cool kids and macho men who feel foolish wearing a mask. They’d rather risk the lives of those around them than risk looking weak, sissy-like or unhip.

Toronto remains at risk:

Toronto is the fourth largest city in North America. Just to the south, the United States is having a massive upsurge in Coronavirus cases with predictions of soon reaching 100, 000 new cases per day.

Now that Covid-19 has been around for a while we have the benefit of research, it’s been amply demonstrated that hand-washing, social distancing and wearing a mask are the most effective ways to reduce the spread of the virus, save lives, and preserve our fragile health care system.

It won’t take much for a second wave of the outbreak to hit us here in Toronto. We’re well-traveled citizens and all it takes is one or two people returning from a trip to a hot-spot in the states, refusing to self-quarantine and then walking around without a mask.

As our economy is re-opening, these individuals will jeopardize everything for the rest of us. No-one wants to go back to the early days of having to stay home all the time. No-one wants our health-care workers to die or become burnt-out, or our economy to tank completely. And that’s what will happen if people flout the rules.

Mask refusal is a psychological issue but it has enormous public health and economic implications. If you know anyone who refuses to wear a mask, show them this article and beg them, please, to put on a mask when they’re walking around in indoor public spaces. We have the power to prevent a second wave, but only if everyone plays their part.

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