FOUR COVID-19 CHARACTER ARCHETYPES
How you view COVID-19 can tell us a lot about your character
When most people think about COVID-19, it hardly occurs to them that there are four kinds of character archetypes who respond to the lock downs and social distancing rules in different ways. They can be broken down as follows:
THE BELIEVER: Typically this is an individual who has little of a scientific or medical background. They believe in trusting the “experts.” They have a palpable sense of fear believing that they can be infected by viruses at any time. If they are directed to wear a mask or maintain the six feet social distancing rule, they have no doubts as to the efficacy of such rules. They will immediately comply with such directives. The idea of questioning authority never enters their mind as they believe in the “experts” and would never conceive someone in a position of authority would lie to them (especially in the medical or scientific field, where peoples’ lives are at stake). They have a vindictive attitude towards those who don’t conform to what the “experts” tell them and believe those people are “dangerous,” as they could be carriers of disease. They are likely to be “snitches,” who will have no guilt feelings about reporting those (whom in their eyes) could easily be “carriers” of disease. They are not impressed by the relative health of those type of people—they could still be a dreaded “carrier,” and failure to follow the rules laid down by health professionals, could result in disaster of immense proportions.
THE ENFORCER: These individuals (who are not health professionals themselves), take pride in self-educating on scientific and medical topics. Some of these people have quite a bit of knowledge about science and medicine and typically will “show off” on social media platforms (most often on Facebook). They identify most often with physicians and enjoy warning others that failure to follow social distancing rules can result in the spread of the virus and prolong lock downs. While they speak at length about the dangers of the virus, it is primarily an intellectual exercise to them. They are not truly worried about being infected themselves. They take more delight in ridiculing non-believers who don’t subscribe to the tenets of orthodox mainstream medicine. Particular targets include those labeled as “anti-vaxxers.” A typical strategy would be to continually ridicule those who reject allopathic medicine and refuse to debate such people on the grounds that any discussion of such alternative ideas is way beneath them.
THE PROFESSIONAL: This category includes all doctors, scientists as well as public health officials. These are the “experts” who the believers and enforcers turn to for rules of conduct during alleged pandemics. They typically set all rules regarding how one should behave during a crisis and they are the ones who have confirmed that a crisis is going on in the first place. They are so certain of their view of things, that they are shocked when anyone dares to question their pronouncements. Typically all theories they subscribe to, are held up as “facts.” To them science is inviolable. Like the Enforcers, they are not afraid of the idea of contagion. They are so busy directing people what to do, they have no time to be afraid. Instead, they enjoy projecting the image of a captain at the helm of a ship, steadily forging ahead in a sea of troubled waters!
THE HERETIC: This is a small minority of individuals who have no respect or belief in mainstream infectious disease medicine. They believe that the theories of contagion are based on an outmoded 19th century germ theory developed by Louis Pasteur. They usually are initially shocked by the conformity of believers and the punitive, arrogant attitudes of enforcers. They regard the professionals as pompous asses who hold up science as fact when it’s nothing more (in their eyes) than a faith-based religion. Heretics usually are adherents of alternative medicine but are mainly concerned about the erosion of civil liberties during so-called pandemics. They are extremely skeptical of news media reports and seriously question whether viruses are pathogenic (as opposed to viewing them as constructive agents, facilitating communication between cells). They have particular disdain for a single factor view of illness. Particularly disturbing is the idea that a person’s death could be classified merely due to a virus despite having multiple pre-existing conditions in the past.
Which archetype do you fall under? Your attitude in regards to how you respond to and interpret illness, shows quite a bit about your character!
Lewis Papier is a songwriter based in New York City. Check out his new hit song, "The Virus is my God," at
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