Conformity and reactions to deviance in the time of COVID-19

Abstract

We have seen massive global behavioral change as billions of people radically altered their ways of life in response to COVID-19. Here, we review how research on conformity and deviance can inform understanding of and effective responses to the pandemic. Group identities are critical for understanding who is influenced by whom, as well as how partisan divisions can obstruct cohesive and coordinated action. We identify several questions highlighted by the pandemic, including when people will react more harshly to ingroup members who violate health-protective norms (black sheep effect) or to outgroup members violating the same norms (intergroup hypocrisy). As a working hypothesis, we propose a goal-based approach, positing that differentially negative reactions to ingroup and outgroup deviants are likely influenced by the relative salience of goals to protect ingroup image, enforce group norms, maintain intergroup boundaries, and seek justice for potential victims put at risk by norm-violating behavior.

Science skepticism in times of COVID-19

“…Self-identifying as a religious and particularly as a spiritual believer has been found to be a more potent contributor to skepticism in various other domains, such as vaccination and evolution (Rutjens & van der Lee, 2020;Rutjens et al, 2021). In what follows, we outline how existing research on science skepticism and worldviews-including political and religious identities and group processes-can inform research and pandemic responses to COVID-19 (see Packer et al, 2021, for discussion of conforming and deviant responses to COVID-19).…”

Intergroup and intragroup dimensions of COVID-19: A social identity perspective on social fragmentation and unity

“…The self, leader, and group are perceived as more homogeneous, promoting adherence to the superordinate group's norms and legitimizing strong responses to group members who deviate. However, as noted earlier, this situation can change as the crisis persists and grows in scale or severity (see also Packer et al, 2021, for further discussion of conformity and deviance during the time of COVID-19).…”

Of Pandemics and Zombies: The Influence of Prior Concepts on COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Behaviors

“…We collected a fourth time point in the fall when cases were again increasing nationally (Time 4 (T4): 1 October 2020). Analyses using these same data collection points but examining other variables from the larger set or discussing other parts of the larger project can be found in other publications [59,60]. Copies of our surveys, data, and code used to analyze our data can be found here: https://osf.io/b4sn9 (accessed on 9 April 2021).…”