Interpersonally-based fears during the COVID-19 pandemic: Reflections on the fear of missing out and the fear of not mattering constructs

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently spreading in all the areas of the world. This ongoing pandemic has clear impacts in terms of the relevance of psychological needs. Psychological needs such as self-esteem, self-actualization, and relatedness only become relevant once basic physiological needs and safety and survivor needs have been satisfied. Because psychological constructs are not objectively existing constituents of reality but rather efforts to represent it, they tend to become more or less relevant and salient as a function of prevailing conditions. Starting from this premise, the current paper focuses on the relevance that fears with an interpersonal basis (i.e. the fear of missing out and the fear of not mattering) have during a period in which physical distancing or “social distancing” has been implicated as a crucial important public health intervention that can help stop transmission of the coronavirus. We underscore how the current health crisis impacts the self and identity of people who are confronted with the discrepancy between their usual psychological needs and current realities.