THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL DISTANCING ON RELATIONSHIPS DURING A PANDEMIC

I believe we all know the devastating impact this pandemic has had on our interpersonal relationships. For some people, it has not been all bad” by any means. Maybe the pandemic allowed you to take some much needed “space” from someone; maybe you came closer to family members in a way that might never have happened if it wasn’t for the pandemic.

This paper is not a diary of your personal experiences. It is an academic analysis of some of the main issues that have confronted people during this pandemic. However, you are allowed to make reference to your personal experiences (or those of a friend/family member) to SUPPORT some KEY MAIN POINTS that you discuss in your paper.

Of course, there are no long-term studies of this particular pandemic – it is in its infancy and it will take years to analyze long-term effects on relationships. But, you can find research that discusses the impact of ISOLATION on human relationships, and the impact of NOT being able to touch one another without risking a virus. There were also other plagues in history and you can read about those pandemics and how people handled it.

The major difference between the Spanish Flu, for example, and NOW is that we do have TECHNOLOGY. We can FACETIME and talk on phones. That is and has been fantastic to keep connected to family. But what about people who lost a relative and could not gather with friends and family and have a normal funeral service? You could choose to do a WHOLE paper just on the impact of that very sad experience for some people. What about the impact of not being able to visit the elderly, or travel to say goodbye to a dying loved one, or be with them for their birthday and anniversaries? What about the impact on weddings that took YEARS to plan and suddenly NO WEDDING is possible?

These are so many scenarios and ALL of them (Positive or Negative) need our attention and analysis. We need to critically analyze what happens to people under these “abnormal” circumstances and discuss possible solutions should this happen in the future.

You need to confirm exactly what specific area you want to research and discuss. If you make the paper too GENERAL then you may not learn as much. Going deeper into ONE general area and then establishing TWO or maybe THREE MAIN POINTS that are very specific to your general topic would be preferable.

Let me give you a very personal example to help you understand how you could shape this paper. Unfortunately, I lost my middle sister from breast cancer on February 27th, 2020. If I was choosing this paper I would probably discuss the IMPACT OF GRIEVING LOSS DURING A PANDEMIC. Many people have lost family members, pets, etc. during this pandemic, and many losses -like my sister-were not a result of the virus –just life.

So the GENERAL topic would be GRIEVING in the pandemic and I would research all about loss and grieving in general. KUBLER-ROSS is a woman who is responsible for the stages of grief and she was/is considered one of the greatest minds in the 20th century. Then I would get the main points decided. Maybe the first would be to discuss GRIEF and Ross and the stages. Then, secondly, discuss this pandemic and how social distancing did not allow people to get together as usual and look for research that talks about how grieving can be INTERRUPTED by traumatic events –this pandemic is a tragic event. In this longer second point, I would bring out examples of what happened with funeral arrangements being canceled and see if you can find studies that talk about what impact this could have on people. And lastly, I might have a main point that maybe discusses some SOLUTIONS for people to manage this situation during a pandemic. If you pick this topic, for example, BUT you personally did not lose anyone (and I hope you didn’t) then you use examples that have happened to other people to SUPPORT your points.

You want to remember that you are ANALYZING and DISCUSSING on an academic level. And your personal experiences can help support what SCHOLARLY experts discuss in terms of your topic. EXPERTS first, then personal experiences.

This paper should be a SEVEN page MINIMUM with a MINIMUM of FOUR outside resources NOT including your textbook. TIMES NEW ROMAN FONT and 12 pt. FONT SIZE ONLY and ALWAYS DOUBLE-SPACED.