During the coronavirus pandemic, governments across the globe ordered physical-distancing and hygiene restrictions to slow down the spread of COVID-19. The present work was conducted during the peak of restrictions in Germany (April/May 2020). In a convenient (N = 218) and representative sample (N = 715), we examined people’s motivations to comply with these restrictions during the lockdown: Were they motivated by personal self-protection, or rather by solidarity with people in risk groups? Specifically, we investigated predictors of personal self-protection (compliance to protect the self against infection) and group-protection behaviours (compliance for reasons of solidarity in protecting people in risk groups). Results indicate that self- and group-protection result from different psychological processes: Whereas personal self-protection seems to be a form of coping with personal anxieties (epistemic and existential needs, personal threat), group protection is an intergroup phenomenon that is enabled by identification with a collective goal (common identity), the perception that society is capable of dealing with the virus (group efficacy), and concern for people in risk groups. We discuss potential implications for behavioural change in pandemics.

中文翻译：

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在冠状病毒大流行期间遵守政府限制：个人自我保护或与高危人群团结一致的问题？

在冠状病毒大流行期间，全球各国政府下令进行身体疏远和卫生限制，以减缓 COVID-19 的传播。目前的工作是在德国限制高峰期（2020 年 4 月/5 月）进行的。在一个方便的 ( N  = 218) 和有代表性的样本 ( N = 715），我们检查了人们在封锁期间遵守这些限制的动机：他们的动机是出于个人自我保护，还是出于与高危人群的团结？具体来说，我们调查了个人自我保护（保护自己免受感染的合规性）和群体保护行为（出于团结保护高危人群的原因而合规）的预测因素。结果表明，自我保护和群体保护源于不同的心理过程：尽管个人自我保护似乎是应对个人焦虑（认知和存在需求、个人威胁）的一种形式，但群体保护是一种由以下因素促成的群体间现象认同集体目标（共同身份），社会有能力应对病毒（群体效能）的看法，以及对高危人群的关注。我们讨论了流行病中行为改变的潜在影响。