Public health is a challenging topic. On one hand, in individualistic societies such as ours, we value independence and freedom to make whatever choices we wish, even if those choices may not be in our or other people’s best interests. During the current pandemic, government officials and others have asked us to change our behaviors to
help curtail and change the nature of the spread of the coronavirus. What do you think motivates most people to adhere to these restrictions? Do you think cultivating intrinsic or extrinsic motivation would better increase compliance with rules such as wearing facemasks and engaging in social distancing? How do you think cultural factors such as individualism and collectivism impact compliance with these health recommendations? If you were a public health official, what steps would you take to increase compliance? Why do you think some people feel so strongly about not
complying with these regulations? Are phenomena such as the Bystander Effect and the Fundamental Attribution Error or findings related to research on compliance and obedience relevant to this discussion? How?
