PSYM100 - Critical Analysis: Media and Public Claims in Psychology

This essay provides a critical evaluation of a media claim regarding psychology, focusing on the controversy surrounding Ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19. It examines how media influences public perception and human behavior, particularly during times of crisis. The essay discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the claim that media significantly impacts human psychology, leading to widespread belief in unsubstantiated treatments. It explores the role of media in disseminating information, the public's susceptibility to such claims due to fear and hope, and the ethical responsibilities of media outlets. The analysis considers the case of Ivermectin, where media coverage fueled demand despite a lack of scientific evidence, highlighting the importance of critical thinking and reliance on authenticated sources. The essay concludes that media has a substantial impact on public psychology, emphasizing the need for responsible reporting and informed decision-making.

Critical evaluation of a media
or public claim about
psychology

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Psychology refers to a scientific study which indicates about the human behaviours and
their mind. Media have high impact on the people perspective which is based on certain
assumptions about individual behavior. This can be effective and able to influence individual
thinking that can be in both positive and negative aspect. There are many types of claims which
has be applied about the approaches of human psychology during COVID. In this, these claims
are effectively able to influence people with higher authenticity and impact individual decision.
In this, there is a claim that media has influence on human psychology of large population which
attract public to believe on them blindly. There is a controversy that Ivermectin tablet is effective
in COVID and can help to eliminate coronavirus. Media has influenced human psychology is all
which make every individual to get that medicine which is effective and can help to get better
and effective information. In this report, there is discussion about the aspect of influence of
media on the human psychology (Joseph & et. al., (2020)).
MAIN BODY
Human psychology is a term defined as the science of mind and the human behaviour.
This influence psychological approaches on the basis of some assumptions. As the psychology
involves the study of both the conscious as well as sub conscious phenomena and the feelings
and thought process. The psychologists can elaborate the human behaviour and the mental
processes of an individual which includes the perception, attention, emotions, their cognition,
brain functioning and so on. The interest of various psychologists extends to the interpersonal
relationships, the psychological resilience and many other areas in between the social
psychology.
While taking the aspect of psychology, it is well defined that the ivermectin is a drug
which is claimed media which provide treatment for the covid-19. With this, a wide range of side
effect and adverse drug reaction is identified with this medication among the people. Moreover,
due to the media aur any other respect the drug is widely create a hype in the treatment of covid-
19 and this is falsely claimed. So, the side effect and adverse effect is determined and the people
is usually because the psychology of the people is predominantly changed because of covid-19
fear and without any evidence. They use the drug in excessive way which can create a number of
consequences and complication with people.

Human Psychology is type of academic discipline of the immense scope that is crossing
the boundaries in between natural and social sciences. The psychology attempts to understand
the role of an individual's behaviour which plays in social dynamics during the acquisition of
physiological as well as the neurological processes into its constructs of mental functioning
(Dawson & Golijani-Moghaddam, (2020)). In context with human psychology, it is basically a
human behaviour which is been attracted towards negative factors that are not scientifically
proven or their effects are not been scientifically approved. In such cases human need to suffer
from several problems as human did not want to trust over the positive things. The human
behaviour thought process also includes that they can gain benefits from negative factors also but
it is totally their hope that such things can make benefit in their body. As humans can follow
their hopes without thinking about the positive as well as negative benefits or without thinking
about the ethics (Sheikh et. al., 2021).
There are many claims regarding the psychology which is effective and can focus on the
delivery of better and effective knowledge. Due to human psychology, there are many of the
evidence which allow to get the correct information through the authenticate sources. There is
also need to focus on the corrective of the claim which can be effective and should influence
human behaviour. There is claim that media has played high role in creating the flow that
Ivermectin is effective in the cure of coronavirus which influences many people. There were few
people who think logically and ask for the scientific evidence. Media was making them profit
which was not able to provide the correct information and liked to disclose their false
information effectively.
Moreover, the doctors and healthcare professionals are also advised the drug for the
medication of covid-19 because they get notified that the drug is predominantly used for the
covid treatment. The claim by the media can create a number of controversy and due to the
perception of people which is based on fear tend to use of ivermectin.
There was high impact of their shared information within public. There were multiple
sources which also claimed and due to use of social media in high range. This controversy gets
higher and demand of Ivermectin get higher and even there was no any stock left for the normal
medication for which it was actually made (Mohiuddin, (2020)). There was huge demand due to
fear of death of coronavirus which was effective and people get very fearful of death of
coronavirus. Due to getting in media about this news, people without thinking any things they

rush for getting this medication to secure their and their family lives. People were not fearful of
its side effect or its consequences because these can have very less in comparison to death. There
are many resources like social media, newspaper, magazines and other article which provide and
share the information about the effectiveness of this medicine in the coronavirus.
According to Josh Taylor (2021), human psychology is related with getting attracted
towards the positive aspect which should not ask for evidence but during any negative aspect,
evidence doesn't matter and human likely to attract towards the negative aspect due to hope. In
Australia, there was controversy that Ivermectin is claimed to have its effectiveness in the
coronavirus which created huge level of demand within public to use them to secure from the
effectiveness of coronavirus (Di Pierro & et. al., (2021)). During COVID impact world was
attracted towards any claim or medication or vaccine which can help to fight against this virus.
After claiming from the researcher about the Ivermectin that it could have possibility to stop the
SARS-CoV-2 which can get multiple in animal cells under microscope. But it was also
announced that there is not proof that it is effective against the coronavirus. Due to getting hope
about working of medicating against the virus which attract large scale of people to use this
medication with high flow to attract and secure lives. Media spread the news about the claimed
effectiveness of this medicines.
Due to the rapid word-of-mouth for the ivermectin people completely changed their
psychology and they take the drug with the fear of covid-19. Moreover, the drug has no any
evidence which treat the covid-19 but the psychology of the people is completely transmitted to
control and prevent the covid-19 with the use of this drug. Hence, due to the false claim of media
or any other can create the controversies with this drug and the people are used this drug because
of changing psychology which depend on the uncertain conditions. In this, the number of people
or also use this drug without any prescription and on the basis of self-medication that have
number of side effect and adverse drug reaction which can create complications and life-
threatening issues among the populations.
This claim is effective and have many evidence which allow to inform individual about
the less corrective about the claim that media have high impact on the human psychology and
influence large population about the medicine Ivermectin which was effective and allow to focus
on the claim. Haman have the psychology to take every effective part to get safety from any
danger. There is evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of the way which claimed about the

human psychology (Peterková & et. al., (2020)). This was claim which represent within public
about the media behaviour and their role which influence large population psychology to believe
on them and get effective with high level.
During peak time of coronavirus, there was effect that every individual was in search of any
sign of medicine or vaccine which have positive impact on fighting against virus. In this, there
was the effectiveness that allow to get better and effect claim about the media influence about
some part of the researcher information. Whereas, there was also information that this could have
not been effective and can cause side impact and are not evidence based. But due to human
psychology, people were not able to find the authenticity of the research and media also didn't
take their responsibilities to show correct and full information to the public immediately.
Strength of the claim was that there was not any evidence of those information that can allow to
provide better support and fight against the coronavirus. Here, weaknesses is that media
individual should only believe in the authenticate resources and should ensure about the
effectiveness of the medicine Ivermectin (Yasnitsky 2018).
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that there is high impact of media on
large population. They are able to influence psychology approach where they are easily able to
influence human psychology by fulfil hope of large populating without evidence just by asking
questions which attract people to believe in this. There is a claim that media is the one which
influence human psychology. They are effective and due to high reach to people this get possible
and allow to impact human life and their psychology. In this, report, there is discussion about
strength and weaknesses of the claim which are having high impact on the human psychology.
There is controversy after researcher claim about the chances of effectiveness of Ivermectin that
can help to fight against coronavirus. This can be effective but with this they also share that there
is no any evidence and might have chance of any positive impact or there is higher chance of
negative health impact.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Dawson, D. L., & Golijani-Moghaddam, N. (2020). COVID-19: Psychological flexibility,
coping, mental health, and wellbeing in the UK during the pandemic. Journal of
contextual behavioral science, 17, 126-134.
Di Pierro & et. al., (2021). Possible Therapeutic Effects of Adjuvant Quercetin Supplementation
Against Early-Stage COVID-19 Infection: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled, and
Open-Label Study. International Journal of General Medicine, 14, 2359.
Joseph & et. al., (2020). Theoretical orientation of a range of psychological approaches to
address mental health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asian journal of
psychiatry, 53, 102221.
Mohiuddin, A. K. (2020). COVID-19 and 20 Resolutions for Bangladesh. European Journal of
Sustainable Development Research, 4(4).
Peterková & et. al., (2020). Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase inhibitors: Beyond
anticancer perspective. Journal of medicinal chemistry, 63(5), 1937-1963.
Sheikh & et. al., (2021). Effect of COVID–19 on Mental Health: The perspectives. European
Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine, 7(11), 5287-5309.
Yasnitsky, A. (2018). Vygotsky’s science of superman: From utopia to concrete psychology.
In Questioning Vygotsky’s Legacy (pp. 1-21). Routledge.
Online
Australian regulator bans off-label Ivermectin use as prescriptions climb, 2021 [Online]
Available through: https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/australian-regulator-bans-off-label-
ivermectin-use-as-prescriptions-climb/
Ivermectin: Australian regulator bans drug as Covid treatment after sharp rise in prescriptions,
2021 [Online] Available through:
<https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/10/australian-drug-regulator-
bans-ivermectin-as-covid-treatment-after-sharp-rise-in-prescriptions>
Ivermectin: Australian regulator bans drug as off-label Covid treatment after sharp rise in
prescriptions, 2021 [Online] Available through:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/ivermectin-covid-cure-australia-
ban-b1917871.html
New restrictions on prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19, 2021 [Online] Available through:<
https://www.tga.gov.au/media-release/new-restrictions-prescribing-ivermectin-covid-
19>