Living with the virus: Psychosocial research on the experiences characterizing the second wave of Covid-19

Abstract

In Rivista di Psicologia Clinica (Journal of Clinical Psychology), n. 2/2020, the first research on the experiences arisen on the onset of Covid-19 was published: the components of the emotional culture evoked by the Coronavirus pandemic were analysed. It was concerning the interviews carried out between March 1st and May 5th, 2020. This second research aims to analyse the collusive experiences identified after the summer of 2020. It relates to the persistence of the pandemic for many months from its onset, to its epidemiological change, therefore the emotional modalities characterizing the coexistence with the virus.
The second research period runs from October 7th to November 13th, 2020. The methodology used is the Emotional Analysis of the Text (AET). Living with the pandemic involves the emergence of an anomic reaction that, in our research, is articulated in tiredness and uncertainty, deriving from not being able to count on the usual certainties, based on the nomos that guarantees the predictable and certain functioning of a series of organizational and contextual components: the loss of trust in the health system and the loss of credibility of the enacted rules. There has also been a carousel of contradictory and unnerving news on the vaccine. The tiredness of living, the uncertain and distressed surviving, have been accompanied by a new cultural model that has changed the emotional symbolizations of objects and actions that enrich the emotional life of individuals and groups. The emotional investment of many people has moved towards new objects allowed by the precautionary restrictions. The exhibitionist component of one’s coexistence has faded, replaced by attention to oneself and one’s own cultural enrichment. These are just a few small examples of a change taking place: a change aimed at defending against the deprivations of the pandemic and seeking new gratifications, right within the limits imposed by prevention.