ABSTRACT
INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVE investigates the experience of the pandemic from the perspective of the mental health and wellbeing of an individual. It starts off with the analysis of humans as “the weak link” and, at the same time, as the source of potential solutions to the crisis. Fear, uncertainty, and risk perception, along with strategies to counteract them, are analysed in the specific context of the pandemic, where fear of both illness and death dominate. Emotions, cognitive mechanisms, and optimism are discussed as means to deal with the challenges of the pandemic. The chapter closes with the analysis of the role of confidence in experts as a prominent factor shaping individual strategies to deal with the crisis.
