The 21-day lockdown is underway. Staff at the Transdisciplinary African Psychologies Programme (TAP) of the University of South Africa’s Institute for Social and Health Sciences and the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) have been working remotely since last week. Some of us are finding they are more productive and happier. Others feel they are anxious and not focused. And yet others say they could be more productive.
But the idea of the lockdown has got many of us into weird, unusual, changed, or fizzy-like states. With a bit of luck, we and our families, friends, students, professors, and colleagues will come out with our health not too negatively affected.
But what of our heads? And our life of feeling? And behaviours?
We have an idea. We would like to call on psychologists and psychology students to join us in marking these 21 days. We want to ask you to write down a kind of diary of ‘Reflecting on Psychology Under Lockdown’. Each day between now and 16 April you can send us a 2-minute voice clip on what you are thinking about your work or studies in these times. Do you feel that psychology has a role during these times? What is that role? How has the lockdown and thoughts on the virus affected your work, health, family, behaviour, thoughts and feelings? What are you doing differently?
Along with these voice clips, we would like you to write approximately 200 words DAILY reflecting on the same questions and related ones. You can stop when you get to 4000 words. Send your voice clips and diary entries to fatima@psyssa.com
We would like to put out a small publication before the end of the end year. We will also consider a compendium of spoken words from the voice recordings.
