What has coronavirus revealed about human psychology?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: What has coronavirus revealed about human psychology?
Position‹3 of 3: Self-perception
Argument‹2 of 2: The individual comes first

As social cohesion becomes necessary to discontinue the spread of the virus, many people put their own needs above the greater good.

The argument

The only way to slow down the spread of the coronavirus is through cooperation. Governments can only mandate so many measures for safety, but the rest of the spread must be stopped through respecting guidelines such as social distancing, staying inside, handwashing, etc. As many people disrespect or disregard guidelines to stop the spread of COVID-19, it has revealed that a large part of the human population will put their own interests above the good of the group. Some large corporations are not providing their employees with personal protective equipment, people are not social distancing, and other behaviors are proving that personal gain is more important than the virus-inhibiting measures that are being inputted by governments. Humans are inherently self-serving and will choose personal advancement or enjoyment over societal advantages.

Premises

[P1]Slowing the coronavirus requires widespread voluntary cooperation with public health guidelines beyond what governments can mandate. [P2] Many people and corporations are disregarding these guidelines in favor of personal convenience or gain. [C] Therefore, the pandemic has revealed that humans are inherently self-serving, prioritizing individual interests over the collective good.

Counter-arguments

Though there are many people disrespecting guidelines, many more are remaining quarantined, and in general, people are doing everything they can to prevent the virus from spreading. A majority are showing the ability to band together in the face of crisis, not the opposite.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] This is not disputed, and it is what undercuts the conclusion: transmission did slow in many places, which required exactly the widespread voluntary compliance the premise says was necessary. [Rejecting P2] Visibility is not frequency. Breaches were reported because they were exceptional, while survey and mobility data over the same period showed large majorities staying home, cancelling plans and accepting sustained personal cost with little enforcement behind it. Inferring that humans are inherently self-serving from a conspicuous minority reverses the evidence — and treats a claim about human nature as though a few months of behaviour could settle it.