Many people fear what the future might hold, and several have resorted to preparation, also known as “Doomsday Preparation.” Doomsday preparers fear a collapse of society and seek solace in safety and security when all else fails. In addition, men were more likely to interpret the current pandemic as an apocalyptic scenario than women. Most survival is based on fear of a sometimes ambiguous, sometimes specific disaster that is just around the corner, more commonly known to preparers as SHTF, short for Shit Hits the Fan. Too many people have watched the TV shows, “Doomsday Prepper” and all the other Doomsday type programs and formed a critical opinion based on Hollywood hype.
However, men were significantly more likely to associate the current pandemic with an apocalyptic scenario. There is little research on the psychological characteristics associated with survivor preparedness before COVID-19; however, an initial study found that it was associated with personality factors such as low kindness, paranoia, cynicism, conspiracy mentality, conservatism, and orientation to social dominance (Fetterman). et al. PAPBS, Postapocalyptic and Apocalyptic Readiness Belief Scale; SBQ, Survival Behavior Questionnaire; GAD-7, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; OCI-R, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory Revised; DASS-21, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21; IUS-12, Uncertainty Intolerance Scale- short form; MBS, Masculine Behavior Scale.
A reservoir of water and rice is useful, but preparers who think they can run out and live in the woods to wait for it to run out are delirious. The results of the study suggest that storage is fueled to a greater extent by watching other people accumulate, through a social learning process, along with interpretations of doomsday of COVID-19, than by real proximity or vulnerability to infection. In modern times, with science gaining popular acceptance and doomsday scenarios falling out of the mainstream, such beliefs can seem very unorthodox. Doomsday preparers are concerned with anticipating hypothetical scenarios that may bring about the end of civilization.
While doomsday readiness has traditionally been reported in the context of extremists, during the COVID-19 pandemic, overstocking has been reported that has led to global supply shortages. These results show that preparedness was more related to personality traits, social learning, and doomsday interpretations than to levels of legitimate threat through proximity and vulnerability to the virus. Excessive accumulation during the pandemic suggests that psychological factors, including doomsday interpretations, may be important influences on these behaviors. Despite this statement, which is generally correct, the preparatory subculture can go beyond intensive or even excessive preparation.
PAPBS, Post-Apocalyptic Readiness and Doomsday Belief Scale; GAD-7, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; OCI-R, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory Revised; DASS-21, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21; IUS-12, Uncertainty Intolerance Scale- Short Form; MBS, Male Behavior Scale.
