The COVID-19 pandemic has affected most of the globe causing chaos as it has

forced people to reveal their true colours, be it positively or negatively. Many people have

turned aggressive, showing instrumental aggression by causing harm to others in order to

reach their goal. Instrumental aggression is a type of aggression which indicates that

undermining the recipient is simply the proximal aim whereas the main aim is another

outcome (Anderson & Bushman, 2002; Geen, 2001). In this context, it is shown in many

situations during the COVID-19 outbreak whereby people have been instrumentally

aggressive to obtain their main goal-grocery items. People have been seen fighting over

supply-items like food, toilet paper, and bottled water in supermarkets during this crisis. This

issue began in Western countries like the United States of America and has even snowballed

to Malaysia and many other countries, causing worldwide panic. It has caused others to do

the same because they feel that they must now compete for daily essentials as they are

worried that there would be nothing left for them. These individuals are said to be selfish but

at the same time, it all boils down to our natural instinct to fight over limited resources for

survival.

To add to this, many people in Malaysia have not been obeying the Restriction of

Movement Order (RMO) set by the authorities and have been roaming around, carrying out

their daily outdoor activities without giving it any serious thought. This phenomenon can be

explained using the Cognitive Dissonance Theory which takes place when there is a lack in

consistency between one's behaviour and attitude or between two different cognitions

(Festinger, 1957). For example, a person subjected to the RMO may think that they need to

leave the premises of their home due to boredom and then think to themselves that it is not

right because they are breaking the rules and the authorities can impose a fine towards them if

they are found guilty of leaving their home with no valid reason. This causes a state of

dissonance and these two contradictory cognitions can be reduced by adding additional
cognitions such as, “There is probably nobody at the beach there and therefore I won’t truly

be exposed to the virus”. This is a big challenge that is being faced by Malaysia as this has

caused a drastic increase in COVID-19 cases throughout the month and if more people were

to do the same, the authorities would have a difficult time trying to contain this deadly virus.

Another serious problem that has aroused due to the flare-up of the COVID-19 virus

is the discrimination that is faced by those of Chinese ethnic origin. Levin and Levin (1982)

defined discrimination as a dissimilar or differing behaviour towards a member from a group

or category, not based on their independent attributes but based on their belonging to that

particular group. This discrimination can be said to have stemmed from the stereotype that

states all people who are of Chinese ethnicity are from China. Since this virus originated from

the Wuhan Province in China, many people of other ethnic groups have started to treat people

who “look Chinese” differently. Many have been actively avoiding ethnic Chinese people

because of this stereotype and are therefore afraid to be infected by the virus. Some people

have even gone to the extent of refusing to serve ethnic Chinese customers and harassing

them in public. This poses a serious threat to the safety of those of Chinese descent and only

makes matters worse and harder for us to deal with.

It is a crucial point of time for us humans and as we are struggling to battle the spread

of the Coronavirus disease, more social factors come into play and make situations even more

difficult to maintain. Although it is extremely difficult to have our nation under full control,

we as individuals should do our best to take responsibility and do our part by adhering to the

rules and guidelines set by the authorities to stay at home and maintain good personal

hygiene. The discrimination faced by ethnic Chinese people is an extra unnecessary issue that

needs to stop for things to be resolved quicker and more efficiently. It is also an important

time for us to tap into what makes us human, be considerate towards others and leverage our

empathy to show concern and care for those who are currently battling for their lives or have
lost their loved ones to this disease. Slowly but surely, we will be able to emerge and rise

from these difficult times.