Even before the deconfinement, we could see that the wearing of the mask had spread widely among the population. And not only in the elderly, the most affected by severe forms of Covid-19.
With deconfinement, the obligation to wear a mask in public transport, and in certain shops makes the practice more visible.
What, two months ago, would have seemed totally incongruous to us, is today totally … accepted.
Taking the risk of being infected is more frightening than wearing a mask
But we are not all equal before this new injunction, even if it is sanitary.
Won’t the mask be a source of anxiety for some people? We are thinking in particular of people suffering from claustrophobia.
For Jacky Rabibisoa, psychologist in Saint-Herblain in the Nantes suburbs, the source of anxiety will not necessarily come from the mask but from having, when leaving your home, to meet other people, to take the risk of being infected with the virus. This fear of being in danger with deconfinement can be a source of stress. It suffices to observe certain behaviors to realize the reality of this anxiety.
Anyone can start a phobia on anything
As for experiencing a real rejection of the mask, as some may experience a phobia of elevators, the probability does not seem obvious to the psychologists interviewed. Even if, according to Christophe Spire “Anyone can start a phobia on anything”.
This hypnosis specialist who practices in Angers, thinks that the anxiety could possibly come from questioning on the part of the person in difficulty. “Will I be able to breathe well, will I have enough air?” In people naturally subject to episodes of anxiety, these questions can in themselves cause a state of stress. And not just among claustrophobes.
He must then be able, according to him, not to project himself into negative anticipation, not to ask questions about a problem that does not exist.
No more image problem
Would it have to do with claustrophobia, I’m not sure “ wonders Dominique Chabannes, psychologist in Nantes. For her, claustrophobia is more related to the visual, to what we see from her environment. This psychotherapist is more inclined to point out the image problems that wearing a mask could pose. The image that one has of oneself with a mask, the image that one lets others see.
But the mass of information currently disseminated on the meaning of this approach, the interest for oneself and for others to wear a mask, should help to silence this kind of concern …
Christine Jeoffrion, Lecturer in Social Psychology at the University of Nantes, thinks that wearing a mask could pose difficulties for some people, perhaps suffering from claustrophobia, for example. But this is not his primary concern.
“wearing a mask does not facilitate social relations …”
“It’s true that the feeling of suffocation can quickly be present, she says. I also see other disadvantages. For example, wearing a mask does not facilitate social relations, especially with regard to people who are hard of hearing, because part of the non-verbal is erased, you can no longer read your lips. “
But Christine Jeoffrion wonders more about the deceptive feeling of invulnerability that the wearing of a mask can induce
“This possible perception of invulnerability, she explains, for oneself and for others, when one wears a mask, with this feeling of being protected by this barrier which constitutes the mask. This can have the effect of reducing barrier gestures such as physical distance. However, we know how much the wearing of the mask requires a good knowledge of the gestures to be made, to touch only the elastic bands and not the mask itself, and not to do: lower your mask by touching it in its upper part and lower on his chin, etc. ”
For Christine Jeoffrion, despite the difficulties that some people may have in using it, the importance of wearing the mask in public places should be stressed because it remains a means of preventing the spread of the virus.
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