Demirtaş-Madran H Andaç
Faculty of Communication, Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Front Psychol. 2020 Nov 13;11:569528. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.569528. eCollection 2020.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19), was first detected in Wuhan province in China during late December 2019 and was designated as being highly infectious. The World Health Organization (WHO) labeled it a "pandemic" on March 11, 2020. Throughout human history, experience has shown that prejudices and viruses spread simultaneously during a viral pandemic. Outgroup members have been associated with various diseases and non-human vectors of diseases. Some epidemics have been named according to various outgroups, just as the novel coronavirus has been referred to by some as the "Wuhan virus" or the "Chinese virus." Associating a virus with a sociodemographic group builds a false illusionary correlation, which can lead to stigmatization and discrimination. Pandemics can also stimulate violent xenophobic reactions. Besides the obvious harmful consequences for the individuals targeted, pandemic-related discrimination also affects the spread of the virus through its effect on public attitudes toward prevention and restriction, health service procurement, and in the establishment of health-related policies. It is important to first understand the relevant concepts and processes, and also to understand the underlying causes of discrimination in order to fight it. Social psychology offers multidimensional and comprehensive explanations of prejudice and discrimination. This review's primary aim was to examine the motivations behind COVID-19-related discrimination based on social psychological perspectives. In line with this aim, the review first defines discrimination in detail, plus the related concepts and main social psychological theories on prejudice and discrimination. Then, pandemic-related discrimination in light of past experiences is discussed and explanations put forward for the theoretical perspectives and inferences specific to COVID-19. Finally, recommendations are made in order to prevent and combat discrimination related to infectious diseases.
新型冠状病毒（COVID-19）于2019年12月下旬在中国湖北省首次被发现，并被认定具有高度传染性。2020年3月11日，世界卫生组织（WHO）将其列为“大流行病”。纵观人类历史，经验表明，在病毒大流行期间，偏见和病毒会同时传播。外来群体成员一直与各种疾病以及疾病的非人类传播媒介联系在一起。一些流行病就是根据不同的外来群体命名的，就像新型冠状病毒被一些人称为“武汉病毒”或“中国病毒”一样。将一种病毒与一个社会人口群体联系起来会建立一种虚假的关联，这可能导致污名化和歧视。大流行还可能引发暴力的仇外反应。除了对目标个体造成明显的有害后果外，与大流行相关的歧视还会通过影响公众对预防和限制措施、医疗服务采购以及健康相关政策制定的态度，进而影响病毒的传播。首先了解相关概念和过程，同时了解歧视的根本原因对于对抗歧视至关重要。社会心理学为偏见和歧视提供了多维度和全面的解释。本综述的主要目的是从社会心理学角度审视与COVID-19相关歧视背后的动机。基于这一目的，本综述首先详细定义了歧视，以及与偏见和歧视相关的概念和主要社会心理学理论。然后，结合过去的经验讨论了与大流行相关的歧视，并针对COVID-19的理论观点和推断提出了解释。最后，提出了预防和对抗与传染病相关歧视的建议。
