Understanding and managing the Self-Wise during a healthcare crisis

Niek Althuizen and Victoria-Sophie Osburg

Social Science & Medicine, 2023, vol. 334, issue C

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought an interesting yet worrisome phenomenon to the fore. A segment of the population, which we call the Self-Wise, seems to exhibit an inflated sense of self-expertise relative to domain experts, which – combined with a lack of trust in the latter – leads them to ignore or reject expert advice. We argue and demonstrate that this phenomenon is distinct from other “illusory superiority” phenomena, most notably Dunning-Kruger and Lake Wobegon. Three studies with US participants provide compelling evidence for the existence of the Self-Wise phenomenon. In the context of COVID-19, its behavioral consequences are non-compliance with expert-based COVID-19 guidelines and measures (e.g., wearing a mask and getting vaccinated). The studies also provide insight into additional characteristics of the Self-Wise, which can be used for identification and targeting purposes. We tested the effectiveness of two tailored interventions that aimed at reducing this segment's “illusory superiority” and (re-)establishing their trust in medical experts. The interventions proved effective in terms of reducing the “illusory superiority” of the Self-Wise, and generally enhanced the participants' intention to comply with COVID-19 guidelines. However, to substantially change the non-conforming COVID-19 behavior of the Self-Wise likely requires stronger and sustained mitigation strategies or interventions.

Keywords: (Self-)Expertise; Illusory superiority; Trust; Compliance; Public health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:socmed:v:334:y:2023:i:c:s0277953623005440

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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116187

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