[This piece caught my eye as the effects of the global responses to COVID are going to leave deep scars across the social fabric of all societies affected. This study reminds just how long the effects of a societal trauma can persist.]
Zhiming Cheng (et al., but from other Aussie institutions) from the Department of Management, Macquarie University and Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW Sydney has taken a look at how the experience of the Cultural Revolution affected trust among the survivors.
The researchers found as follows: “Having experienced the Cultural Revolution increases generalised trust and trust towards relatives and neighbours. However, experience of the Cultural Revolution decreases trust towards co-workers/colleagues, cadre/supervisor, classmates and people from one’s hometown.”
The study shies away from what some of the negative (and positive?) consequences of this behavioral modification may have been.
I’d throw in my own two-pennyworth here noting absence of trust in strangers or authority isn’t normally associated with robustly prosperous societies that are likely to benefit from the network effects of strong institutions.
The paper goes into how sub-groups attitudes evolved but the main point is that the passage of time doesn’t heal trauma completely and being exposed, as so many young people have been with COVID, to trauma early in life ends up having life long consequences.
There’s more detail in the paper if you care that you can access via the following link Hope After Despair.
Happy Sunday.