Citation

Loza W, Hesselink A. Acta Criminol. 2020; 33(3): 70-89.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Criminological Society of South Africa)

DOI

10.10520/ejc-crim-v33-n3-a5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

News on Covid-19 and on terrorism induce emotional, phycological and social reactions ranging from anger, anxiety, fear, confusion, panic and paranoia. Witnessing a terrorist attack, human destruction and disaster drain people physically, emotionally and spiritually, subjecting them to a whirlwind of emotions with intense feelings of sadness, rage, emotional numbness, helplessness, shock and disbelief. The silent toll of the emotional impact of Covid-19 has affected people on various levels, also creating anxiety, fear, panic, mental health issues, financial constraints, job losses, food security and freedom of movement. This qualitative multidisciplinary research endeavour explores secondary data sources from journal articles, official websites and from scholarly books regarding the psychological and social effects and people's experiences and reactions to Covid-19 and terrorist attacks. The research is directed by the research question: What are the psychological and social similarities of Covid-19 and terrorism in terms of the impact of these events on people's everyday lives and people's responses to Covid-19 and terrorism? The researchers used a thematic analysis to sort and analyse the data. The Social Contract Theory illustrates the contract between the State and its citizens, whereby citizens agree to abide by the law in return for protection by the State.

FINDINGS suggest overlapping similarities between Covid-19 and news about terrorist attacks with regards to the psychological and social impact and people's reactions to these negative events.

Language: en

Keywords

COVID-19; Psychological effect; Social contract theory; Social impact; terrorism