Psychosocial Predictors of Normative Transgression during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Peruvian citizens

Abstract

This research investigated psychological correlates with norm non-compliance during the National State of Emergency declared in Peru at the time of the covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, it looks at the relationship between Social Dominance Orientation (sdo), perceptions of legitimacy, strength and efficacy of the normative system, and trust in the institutions. It also looks at individual justifications for norm non-compliance and the frequency of transgression. A correlational research design using questionnaires was developed with a sample of 126 participants. Results show that transgression of government-issued norms during the Peruvian National State of Emergency is linked to the ideological component of sdo and perceptions of a weak and illegitimate normative system. These results are consistent with previous studies on normative transgression in Latin American countries. Additionally, results suggest that the need for subsistence (i.e., generating resources to sustain the household) is fundamental to comprehensively understanding transgressive behavior in contexts of vulnerability such as a global pandemic. The discussion highlights how a precarious socio-political structure —one incapable of meeting the basic needs of large sectors of the population— emerges as a central cause of normative transgression in times of crisis.