Why not focus on combating the virus? On the active and passive egocentrism in communications

Baiyao Zuo
East China Normal University

“Egocentrism” in communication usually refers to the fact that interlocutors are subconsciously influenced by their cognitive environment. However, being egocentric may be the product of the interlocutors’ conscious choice rather than the unavoidable impact of cognitive experience. In order to explore some emotive conflicts during the fight against COVID-19 in China, this study distinguishes active egocentrism from passive egocentrism. We further contend that the interplay of the cognitive environment and the active assessment of social context differ in speaker processing and hearer processing, which may result in emotive miscommunications. The facets of the actual social context assessed by interlocutors are also investigated to explain the formation of active egocentrism.

Publication history

Date received: 2 May 2022

Date accepted: 11 December 2023

Published online: 30 April 2024

Table of contents

The COVID-19 outbreak undoubtedly created a unique social context in which public health security is prioritized more than ever before. When the epidemic reached its peak in China in 2020, combating the virus was undoubtedly the most essential responsibility for the entire society. In this context, when someone talked about the epidemic, both the communicator and the addressee were supposed to keep this social responsibility in mind. However, some news reports and online comments about the fight against COVID-19 still caused unexpected emotive reactions. What led to this? This study attempts to explain it by investigating the different cooperation-egocentrism interplay models from both the speaker’s and the hearer’s perspectives. The formation of active egocentrism based on the active assessment of the social situation will also be investigated.

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