Formats and Functions of Belief in the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic: Multicultural Studies in Thai Society

Abstract

Beliefs about illness have existed in the old days that it has been caused by supernatural powers. Modern medicine is still not able to completely heal mental suffering and guide the behaviour of people in society. Not knowing how to cure patient of this virus; belief becomes an alternative way to ‘deal’ and ‘heal’ with the epidemic situation. In this study, the researcher aimed to study the diversity of beliefs and analyse the role of beliefs as well as the social factors from the case studies of Coronavirus disease pandemic. Data were collected from 8 news websites and Facebook social media website from 1 March to 15 April 2020

The results showed that the beliefs that appeared in Coronavirus pandemic can be classified into eight groups including local belief, Brahmin-Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam and mixed beliefs. In addition, belief formats can be classified into two forms: rituals and sacred objects. In the function dimension, it was found that the beliefs used in the management of the Coronavirus disease pandemic had three functions; explaining the doubts about the disease that the man could not find the answer, raising encouragement and, controlling the spread of an epidemic. Social factors affecting the application of belief in the Coronavirus disease pandemic are ways of disseminating beliefs and perceptions about beliefs and being a multicultural society.