Reframe the Shame: Accusing Others of ‘ Quarantine Bragging ’ Downplays Resilience

A new label has surfaced in the past few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic: “quarantine bragging”. When people display their pride in accomplishments or hobbies on social media while sheltering in place, some of us are tempted to label these posts or images as the social media equivalent of “bragging” and, by default, the individual as a braggart. The label implies that the individual is disingenuous and motivated by harmful perfectionism. However, the most unhealthy aspect of the “quarantine bragging” label may be the heavy-handed judgment behind it. Labeling others as “quarantine bragging” is a vehicle for passing negative judgment, affectively invalidating the experience of others. And it may be an unhelpful way for the person applying the label to cope with their own anxieties or negative self-appraisals. For everyone concerned, the label is unhelpful. The person labeling others is engaging in an unhealthy coping strategy that perpetuates the cycle of self-judgment and unhelpful envy. And the person labeled a braggart is experiencing invalidation and an attack on their resilience. Negatively judging others and their content on social media as “quarantine bragging” is harmful to the person applying the label. At its core, this label embodies the spirit of tearing down others for the sake of personal edification: if you can’t beat ’em, beat ’em. Paradoxically, however, downplaying others and their achievements, or dismissing them as false or d...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Relationships Technology coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic quarantine Resilience social media Source Type: blogs