Why do some people refuse to abide by the rules?

WHAT MAKES SOME PEOPLE FLOUT AND OTHERS OBEY THE RULES? A key factor is individualism versus collectivism. People in individualist cultures tend to reject rules and ignore attempts by public health authorities to “nudge” behaviour change with risk messages or appeals for altruism.

Why do people want to do the opposite of what they are told?

When someone discourages you from doing something, you often feel that your freedom is being threatened, which motivates you to regain choice and control by doing exactly the opposite.

Why is social distancing not good?

Over long periods of time, social isolation can increase the risk of a variety of health problems, including heart disease, depression, dementia, and even death.

What is it called when you do something you told someone not to do?

This is “reverse psychology”, which means to tell someone to do something (or not to do something) in the expectation that they will want to disobey you and so do the opposite of what you say.

What is a medical directive and why do you need one?

If a person becomes incapacitated, they may not be able to make medical decisions at that moment. Therefore, medical directive helps prepare the person for such situations by naming a “proxy” or representative who will make such decisions on behalf of the incapacitated person.

Are advance directives only for the elderly?

Many people think advance directives are only for the elderly. However, unexpected end-of-life situations can happen to anyone at any age. It’s important for everyone to prepare an advance directive. There are two kinds of advance directives:

What happens if a medical directive is breached?

A medical directive is basically governed by principles found in contract law, so a court will usually look to the written document in order to clarify any errors or misunderstandings. A common dispute is where the proxy disregards or breaches the instructions contained in the medical directive.

Do people with a greater sense of entitlement refuse to follow instructions?

In essence, this joint study from Cornell and the Harvard Medical School found that people with a greater sense of entitlement are less likely to follow instructions than less entitled people are, because they view the instructions as an “unfair” imposition on them. They would rather lose at something than “submit” to the rules of others.