Somedays I dread having to drive to the store, take my son to an appointment or pick up medication from the pharmacy. I used to love driving especially on my way home from work. There is a calmness that sets over me as I cross over the bridge to the beach. To me, beach life is laid back and “chill” but these days Gulf Boulevard has become a racetrack. There seems to be more aggression on the road, and in parking lots. Horns honking, people swearing, fights breaking out in parking lots. Even at places where you can go to relax and get a breath of fresh air.
My son and I discovered that the boat ramp close to where we live is a peaceful place. People fishing, some walking their dogs or playing in the water. People launching their boats into the water are even angry. People revving engines, yelling at boaters exiting the ramps, pure vulgarity.
A friend recently reminded me of a book I read as a teenager called Future Shock written by Alvin Toffler. In my words the book is about too many things happening to people too quickly. The beginning of the book I believe begins with a couple walking in a park with masks on their faces. Metal masks.
While we may have our own story line from Future Shock experts suggest the negative feelings and experiences associated with prolonged isolation happen to all of us. all. As humans we have survived and evolved into social beings. While COVID-19 is an extremely unprecedented moment, the kind of seclusion that has been eating at people over the last couple months is not as uncommon an experience as you might imagine. Isolation impacts our bodies and minds. Isolation numbs the brain. Depression and anxiety set in.
With all the economic suffering that has resulted from social distancing, it is no surprise people are retaliating against the constraints.
In the 1960’s an American psychologist by the name of Jack Brehm came up with a theory that when people are told not to do something, they feel more of an urge to do it. He called this reactance. You can kind of equate it to anytime your confronted about something such as news anchors and health officials telling you to be sure you wear a facial mask in public. Reactance theory hypothesizes some people will rebel against it.
People all over the world are stressed out and desire freedoms taken away from them. In Florida, there were recent protests outside of a courthouse about people wanting gyms reopened.
Much research has been conducted over the years about reactance theory and the findings are generally people are convinced they are allowed certain freedoms to engage in free behaviors. Yet with the COVID-19 pandemic people are being prohibited from doing the things they are accustomed to in their everyday lives.
This prohibition of freedom is often accompanied by hostility and aggression.
So, was Toffler a visionary? It certainly seems that 50 years ago his description of people being overwhelmed by change has many similarities with what is happening in 2020. Simply the rise of new businesses, economy, lifestyles, friends, and family relationships.
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