Coronavirus and Psychology: Africentric Perspectives

Abstract

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that causes severe respiratory problems and grave challenges to health care systems worldwide. The psychological dissonance created by this pandemic breathes suspicion, lack of faith, and trust, including mixed and faulty beliefs about those claiming to provide solutions. Whatever the situation, the pathways for treatment cannot be restrictive since it is still unclear what exactly is being treated. Some people feel there is much trial and error in what exactly the treatment is, as people are dying and being buried with no dignity or respect. Knowledge of managing the treatment of Coronavirus cannot be the monopoly of the developed world because the developing countries, for example, Africa, have had to handle various types of pandemics. The concepts defining these two worldviews are simply visions of people’s state of mind that impacts their mind theory, evident in their manifested behavior when dealing with events and complex situations in life.  Accordingly, most people refuse to go to the hospital for fear of wrong diagnosis and treatment. Others feel they may be left to die alone with none of their loved ones by their side.The outbreak of COVID-19 affects people on three levels: physically, psychologically, and spiritually. At the physical level, there are legislations about testing, social distancing, and self-isolation or quarantine; at the psychological level, people try to internalize the understanding of this phenomenon along with its generated emotions and find out how to manage the situation through reviewing of the lifestyle that may influence mental health. As a concern, spiritual individuals pray, meditate, and invoke their ancestors through sacrifices. I have personalized COVID-19 as an enigma if one can comfortably qualify it because of the uncertainties and paradoxes it creates in peoples’ psychological well-being.