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Deviances in Everyday Life due to COVID-19

The Coronavirus also known as COVID-19 has had a huge impact on peoples everyday

lives, and with that many people are deviating from their norms and routines. I will be discussing

five domains that I have chosen to focus on and the observations I have made in the course of a

week regarding them. I have chosen the following domains to discuss regarding my

observations: Family, Education, Work, Interpersonal Relationships, and Food/Leisure. I chose

these as they are relevant in my everyday life unlike Religion/Faith and Healthcare. I will also be

explaining how I responded emotionally to these deviancies. It is important to note that during

the week of my observations, I had not left the house. The farthest I had gone was my backyard,

so I will not be discussing behaviors that I would have seen if had a went grocery shopping or

was working for example. Another note to make is that most of my observations were deviances

in my normal routines at college rather than deviances in the behaviors of others around me . I

will then be using behavioral theories to explain the behaviors I have witnessed through the

course of the week. The first theory that I will be discussing is the theory of reasoned action, this

will be used to explain behaviors revolving friendships and communication. The second theory I

will talk later about is Social Cognitive Theory, this will be used to explain some behaviors

regarding education and online school. The last behavioral theory I will be discussing it the

Theory of planned Behavior, this will be used to explain health related behaviors that were

observed over the week. I will first begin with the domains and the observations that go with

them.

Domains

Family

The first domain I will be discussing is family. I chose this domain as it would be the

most prevalent in my everyday life due to being sent home from college. In my observation log, I
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decided to discuss family four days out of seven. On the first day I observed that we deviated

from our family Sunday dinners due to my sister moving out because of the virus. Every Sunday

my immediate family would gather for dinner, these dinners normally would take all day to make

and were rather big in portions. We did not follow that normalcy that day as my sister had moved

to her boyfriends with her kids as a result of my father putting the house on a lockdown. My

family doesn’t normally eat together a lot, so it wasn’t a very big surprise that we weren’t doing

the dinner when my sister and my nieces left. In the observation log I explained that I was not

really excited about being home, especially since my sister and her kids had left. I also

mentioned how online classes had stressed me out and put me in a situation in which I didn’t

think I would learn that well. The second day I observed that being home with my family was a

deviancy in itself. I explained that I was used to calling my father twice a week, and that neither

of us were used to being together so much. I explained that I had started to form a routine as I

would sleep in late ad only see them later in the day. My emotional response was one of

acceptance as I explained that while my father and I are close, we are very different people

which will lead to arguments. When I come home for vacations I am normally working, so now

that we are together so much we have started to butt heads. On day four I wrote about how my

sister came over with her boyfriend and the girls to spend some time with the family. I spoke

about how her visit had deviated from the routine that was made for the family since she had left.

Another deviancy I touched on was that of my own schedule, as that had been the first time since

I had been back that I had went outside for physical activity. My emotional response for that

deviancy that day was rather pleased but awkward. I was rather pleased as I love my sister and

the her kids, I had really missed them since they were gone. I had felt awkward as I had realized

how little activity I have had along with how little I have gone outside since I have been home.
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Deviances in Everyday Life due to COVID-19

On day seven I spoke about a call I had with my Nama on our yearly family beach trip and

observed how it would be different this year along with the dangers it could pose. I observed that

the activities would be different due to many places shut down or open with certain limitations

that would normally not be there if it wasn’t for the virus. In my observations I discussed

deviancies from my normal routine when I was on campus, along with the routine that I have

started to form since I have been home.

Education

The second domain I will be discussing is education as it is one of the domains that had

very noticeable deviances along with the most negative emotional responses of the other chosen

domains. I observed this domain on two separate days, both days the emotional response was

followed with words such as anxiety and mentally frustrating. On day five I discussed major

deviances of my behavior with classes and the work itself. I also expressed how the environment

I am in now is a major part of my deviances. To clarify, I explained how I had places that I

routinely visited to study and work. Now that I am home and without said places, it is hard to

concentrate on work and this leads to late/missing work. This is a quite deviant from my normal

work pattern as it is normally very rare that I turn work in late, and even rarer that I am missing

an assignment completely. I also explained how my environment has caused deviances in my

attendance as I will not normally miss class unless I’m sick, but I am unable to attend classes due

to the lack of proper WIFI. A majority of my emotional response was that of anxiety and

helplessness as I touched on the stress and pressure that certain events were bringing me. I

expressed how my mental health has suffered due to these deviances along with how I simply

wish to finish the semester. On day seven I again mentioned how the deviances in my

environment has affected my studies, but I mostly discussed how my mind set for essays/projects
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had deviated since we were sent home. I explained that while I am normally a perfectionist who

will rewrite an essay if I don’t like it, I have now formed a process that deviates from the norm I

had when I was on campus. I would normally rewrite the essay at least once, but now I can

rewrite an essay up to 5 times. In my emotional response I explain that if I don’t follow the

process until I am content with the essay/project, it will leave a negative affect on my mind until

I rewrite it. I also felt rather apologetic in my emotional response as I felt that I was letting down

my teachers due to the deviances in my normal work ethic. This domain was the easiest to spot

the deviances of all my observations

Work

The third domain that I will be discussing is work as while the observations contained

less noticeable and sparse deviances, I still felt them important to mention. I observed and logged

this domain two times as the events that transpired those days reminded me that there were

deviances happening. The first day of my weekly log, I went into detail on how much I normally

worked when I came home, but how it the norm had deviated due to my work place closing

down because of the virus. I had called my work that day to ask when we would open, but had

my manager explain that it was no use staying open due to the majority of the clientele being of

the older generation. I briefly mentioned a deviancy in my friends work as his job was making

changes in response to the virus, such as cut hours and plastic screens put up to protect the

workers. I was rather stressed in my emotional response as I had made plans to work and make

money for a car over the break, but the end goal does not seem attainable at this moment in time.

I next logged this domain on day six, which focused on the different mentalities for working

when I was home and when I was a full time student. I mention how my thought process has

deviated as when I was at college I only focused on being, but now that I am home and still
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Deviances in Everyday Life due to COVID-19

technically a student still I only have work on my mind. It is brought up again at how not

working when I am home deviates greatly from when I am normally home for holidays. In the

first days observation I gave the amount of days I normally worked, which was 4-5, and

expressed that now that I am not working at all it has become a big deviance in my routine when

I’m at home. I can also see this deviance becoming more noticeable when the semester is fully

over and I don’t have the schoolwork to occupy my days. My emotional response to these

deviances were on of disappointment and frustration. I felt frustration as my work had closed

because of the virus, which caused my plans that were perfectly scheduled to completely deviate

from its intended time span. The disappointment was paired with this frustration as I was not

able to work like I normally would which yet again messed with my plans to buy a new car. I am

a person who has set schedules and routines so when circumstances(such as the virus) produce

deviances, I have a very hard time keeping a calm mindset.

Interpersonal Relationships

Interpersonal relationships are relationships between two or more people which can

include relations with family, friends, clubs, and romantical partners. While I logged this domain

three times in my observation log, I focus on my friendships and my relation to my Orientation

leaders. On day three I noted that a major deviancy in my normal routine was the amount of time

spent with my friends. I will normally spend time with my friends or at least my best friend(Jess)

every day, but since being sent home I have only remained in contact with Jess and even that is

at the most 4 times a week. My emotional response for this day and domain was one I was more

hesitant to log. When I had first been sent home, I had fallen into a depression as a result of

loneliness. I was very used to being surrounded with friends and good atmospheres, so when that

was stripped from my everyday environment and routine it became a rather noticeable deviance.
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Deviances in Everyday Life due to COVID-19

I touched on the strain my friendships went through during the weeks in self isolation. Day fives

log was almost a continuation of the last log for this domain as many of the prior deviances were

still present. I described a deviance that I found rather minor, but others found to be important.

When I was on campus I had my phone on me every day, but it is lucky if my phone is on once

every two weeks. While this is a minor deviance in what was once a routine, it has not been very

noticeable to myself during this time. Another deviancy that I noted is the lack of communication

between my friend group. Jess and I have had no communication with them, when we normally

hung out or spoke with them at least five times a week. My emotional response focused on this

deviancy as I expressed sadness and acceptance. On day six I observed a different type of

interpersonal relationships as I observed how the spring straining for the orientation leaders was

completely different and deviant from what would be considered the “normal” training. While

the time of the meetings were the same, the method to which we met was deviant from its norm.

We now met on zoom, when we would normally meet face-to-face in a classroom. It is a last

resort to continue training, but many have expressed that it gives off a completely different

feeling and experience. While I expressed my disappointment in the online meetings, I also

expressed my frustration with my WIFI as that day I struggled to connect to the meeting. Overall

these deviances were bearable, but left behind a feeling of loneliness and isolation.

Food/Leisure

My observations on this domain focused more on the food aspect, although I express a

few thoughts on deviances in my old leisure routines. On day two I focused heavily on the food

side as I felt at the time that my leisure routine was not that different from my routine on campus.

I expressed how I had a routine with my friends to get meals together as a way to help an issue I

have with remembering to eat. It is heavily mentioned later on about the routines my friends and
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Deviances in Everyday Life due to COVID-19

I had for meals along with the lack of consistency in meals now that I am with my family. I sated

that this was one of the stronger deviances in my normal routine that I was struggling with. This

is supported with my emotional response as I was worried about my health and how often I was

going to forget to eat. Day three was broken up into three observations, scheduled meals then and

now, routinely gaming with Jess, and the restraint of new leisure activities. I explain that I

normally grab a meal with my friends 5 days out of the week, and now I only eat with my family

two days out of the week. I would eat dinner normally at six and grab lunch at noon with Jess,

but now it has deviated to eating dinner when I remember. Jess and I were on the phone with

each other when she reminded me of how we used to game to destress. We used to play at least

three times a week, when now we don’t play at all due to the separation. My emotional response

focused on this observation as I felt sad on how much I used to do and how little I do now. On

day four I broke up the log into two observations which are, routinely ate foods and poor

restraint in leisure activities. I had foods that I would eat consistently that I am unable to eat now

that I am home. I mentioned how I had started going out of my way to make a food that I used to

eat at every dinner and how I didn’t know if it’s a deviancy in my now new routine or a

normalcy in my old routine. I then went on to explain how I used to have days I would allow

myself to watch new shows/books, but I have deviated from that routine as I have been allowing

myself to partake I these activities throughout the week. I expressed how I struggled now that I

didn’t have the foods I had become accustomed too at my disposal. I expressed how my hyper

fixation can cause my anxiety to heighten when it affects my schoolwork.

Behavioral Theories

Theory of Reasoned Action

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Deviances in Everyday Life due to COVID-19

The behavior that I will be discussing in relation to the chosen theory is mental self-

isolation and the progress of communication between friendships. I will be using the Theory of

Reasoned action as a way to explain these behaviors and the process that they were. I will first

start with explaining what this theory entails. To quote a journal titled “Comparison of Four

Behavioral Theories” written by Mary Kathryn Salazar, “It suggests that behavioral change

ultimately is the result of changes in beliefs, and that people will perform behavior if they think

they should perform it”. This journal then goes on to explain how the theory views people as

rational and assumes that they think about their actions before they do or don’t act on that

behavior. It is also important to note that this theory believes that people will act in line with

their intentions ( Salazar, 1991). I will be aiding the earlier information with knowledge from a

journal titled “Theory of Reasoned Action as Parallel Constraint Satisfaction: Towards a

Dynamic Computational Model of Health Behavior”, written by Mark G. Orr, Roxanne Thrush,

and David C. Plaut. This journal puts the idea of theory into simpler terms, to quote” behaviors

are driven directly by intentions towards a behavior. Intentions are driven directly by attitudes

and perceived norms related to the behavior. Attitudes and perceived norms are formed from

beliefs”(Orr et. Al., 2013). While this was a long quote, I felt it necessary as it makes direct

connections of the factors that are involved in this theory. The behaviors that I will first discuss

is that of mental self-isolation that I went through. I use the term mental self-isolation as a term

for when I went dark off of social media and made it so that no one could technologically reach

me until I deemed I was in a better mind set. I had fallen into a deeper depression and felt that I

needed to perform this act of mental self-isolation(MSF). While I had fully thought about the

factors involving the self-isolation, I minutely went against the theory as I did not predict how

others would respond. I think this theory helps to explain this behavior as it was performed
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Deviances in Everyday Life due to COVID-19

because myself as a person deemed is as something that needed to happen. It can also be

supported by how my actions aligned with my intentions, as I self-isolated mentally with the

intention to better my mental health. This theory also helps to explain the process of willful

communication I went through after the isolation and into present time. Communication through

phones and social media is not something I had deemed important until I almost lost my best

friend due to my lack of communication. My belief on the views of communication changed

once I saw how it had negatively impacted my friend. My behavior changed slightly as I now

actively try to communicate with her, but I am still working on remembering to talk with others.

My intention was to make my best friend happier and communicate more with her, so I slowly

started to get used to texting her back or sending her little ideas that reminded me of her. While

these are not very big behaviors to most, these were very important to me. I think this theory

supports the behaviors as it differs from other theories by stating that not all behavior is

determined by external variables. I will be aiding the earlier information with knowledge from a

journal titled “Theory of Reasoned Action as Parallel Constraint Satisfaction: Towards a

Dynamic Computational Model of Health Behavior”, written by Mark G. Orr, Roxanne Thrush,

and David C. Plaut. This journal

Social Cognitive Theory

The behavior that I will discussing is that of the struggle with online classes. I chose this

theory to explain this behavior as this theory seems to be focused on how learning occurs and the

factors that explain a person’s behavior in this context. I will be using an article by The Boston

University School of Public Health, titled “Behavioral Change Models”, written by Wayne W.

LaMorte. This theory was originally titled as the Social Learning Theory in the 1960’s, but was

change developed into the Social cognitive theory in 1986. This theory believes that “learning
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Deviances in Everyday Life due to COVID-19

occurs in a social context with a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of the person, environment,

and behavior.”(LaMorte, 2019). This theory also believes that when a person is put into a

different environment, there will be changes in the person. While others think that this isn’t

always true, I feel like this can explain the struggles in online class as the environment that was

deemed normal is now changed into an environment that is uncommon in the context of learning.

. This article explain what the goal if this theory is, which is “to explain how people regulate

their behavior through control and reinforcement to achieve goal-directed behavior that can be

maintained over time”(LaMorte, 2019). While I don’t feel that this theory is a perfect

explanation of how the environment and the social factors can impact a person’s behavior and

how they will “learn” in the context of education, I do feel this theory can support these

behaviors loosely. This theory also focuses on how a person learns by observing people, such as

social interactions. I am using a modification of this theory to explain how I learn in school

rather than overall learning behaviors. I learn the best when I am physically in a class and

partaking in hands on activities with my classmates. This theory could explain why I am not

learning well while online as there are no people to observe and learn from. In an article titled

“Social and Behavioral theories”, it mentions a key term which is self-efficacy. This is defined

by them as “person’s confidence in his or her ability to take action and to persist in that action

despite obstacles or challenges”( E-Source). This has been proven that if a person has low self-

efficacy then tasks that would normally be easy are harder. I believe I have had low self-efficacy

since we have went online as I have struggled to complete projects that I would be confident to

finish when we were in class. The cause of struggle being low self-efficacy actually makes a lot

of sense in the idea of this theory.

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Deviances in Everyday Life due to COVID-19

In conclusion, I think that many of the deviances people have experienced due to the

virus will stay when everything has settled down. I use my father as an example as I can see him

using masks when he is sick and being manic with hand sanitizer when he notices someone

might be ill around him. I think that this virus is going to implement the fear of illness in

everybody for many years to come. It has been so impactful on everybody’s daily life that I can’t

see people of the current generations going back to normal as if nothing happened. I think that

the deviant behaviors of people stocking up on toilet paper won’t continue, but I can see the

stocking up behavior becoming an instant reaction to any situation in the near future. I also think

that while travelling to other countries isn’t a deviant act normally, it is at the moment in time. I

feel people won’t travel for a while, especially to Asian countries or to Italy. I think this

pandemic is going to stick with people and their decisions for a while, at least until a cure is

found.
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Works Cited

LaMorte, W. W. (n.d.). Behavioral Change Models. Retrieved from

http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/

BehavioralChangeTheories5.htmlOrr, M. G.,

Thrush, R., & Plaut, D. C. (2013). The Theory of Reasoned Action as Parallel Constraint

Satisfaction: Towards a Dynamic Computational Model of Health Behavior. PLoS ONE,

8(5). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062490

Salazar, M. K. (1991). Comparison of Four Behavioral Theories. AAOHN Journal, 39(3), 128–

135. doi: 10.1177/216507999103900305

Textbook, O. B. S. S. R. (n.d.). Social and Behavioral Theories. Retrieved from

http://www.esourceresearch.org/Default.aspx?TabId=735#