Since the beginning of the lockdown in Italy, it has been clear how, despite the concern generated by the pandemic's expansion and the moral imperatives spread by different experts, people have had difficulties in respecting quarantine, maintaining social distancing and, in general, adopting the precautions imposed by the Government.

However, it is not entirely surprising that many have broken the rules, adopted them partially or bypassed them in the name of convenient and contingent motivations. Dozens of psychological studies have long shown how difficult it is for people to comply with the rules, especially when they are imposed from the outside and are based on moral principles that are not always easy to understand.

In a new paper published on the Frontiers in Psychology journal, the research team coordinated by Guido Alessandri of Sapienza University of Rome investigated the psychological characteristics and psychosocial determinants underlying compliance with the rules during the COVID-19 outbreak. The study carried out in collaboration with the Universities of Trento and Bologna and the Salesian Pontifical University, allowed to identify moral disengagement and generalised trust in others as crucial factors, mediators and moderators of more or less compliant behaviour.

During the first phase of lockdown, between March 22 and April 6, 2020, the researchers asked the sample, through a questionnaire, how often they had left home since the beginning of the restrictions and at what level, in their opinion, they had complied with the rules imposed by the Government. In this way, the researchers could trace the psychological profile of those who, more than others, reported that they had violated, ignored or otherwise had difficulties in complying with the rules.

"A fundamental role - says Guido Alessandri - is played by the basic dispositions of people. We have seen that personality traits can determine behavioural choices by influencing the tendency of the individuals to disengage morally, or to ignore for their own convenience the ethical dimension of behaviour and to break the rules imposed without showing any discomfort, shame or remorse, and even finding full justification for their actions."

According to the results of this study, people who declared higher levels of moral disengagement reported in the questionnaires that they had more frequently violated the rules of home isolation or social distancing.

In addition to moral disengagement, the basic dispositions of individuals appeared to be related to their generalised level of social trust: the perception that others around us are also working to conform to the imposed rules was another crucial element in fostering compliance with the rules, so much so that, in certain circumstances, it mitigated the influence of moral disengagement on non-compliance with the rules.

"In addition to the basic dispositions of each person's personality, moral disengagement and trust in others, and especially in the Government, constitute powerful incentives (or disincentives) to respect the rules" - concludes Alessandri. "They represent fundamental psychological levers to promote compliance with the rules in the advanced stages of the pandemic management, which increasingly rely on the ability of individuals to regulate themselves and less and less on the strict regulation of their behaviour."

References: 

Moral Disengagement and Generalized Social Trust as Mediators and Moderators of Rule Respecting Behaviors During COVID-19 Outbreak - Alessandri, G., Filosa, L., Tisak, M. S., Crocetti, E., Crea, G., & Avanzi, L. - Frontiers in Psychology (2020) doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02102

Further Information

Guido Alessandri
Department of Psychology
guido.alessandri@uniroma1.it