Xenophobia is an obsessive fear of unfamiliar faces; hatred, intolerance towards someone or something alien, unfamiliar, unusual. Xenophobia is also called any hostility towards a foreign object, be it the historical heritage of another ethnic group or the traditions of a non-native cultural group.
Xenophobia: what does this concept mean and why is this phenomenon considered one of the most dangerous problems of modern humanity? To answer this question, it is necessary to understand the very nature of this phenomenon.
Xenophobia is fear/intolerance of the unfamiliar/strange.
Hatred is the anger of weak people.
Alphonse Daudet
- 1.Why do people hate each other? 1.1.But is there any point in hatred?
- Xenophobia is fear/intolerance of the unfamiliar/strange.
- Anatidaephobia is the fear of being watched by a duck.
- Ergophobia is the fear of work
- Haptophobia - fear of being touched
- Social phobia - what is it, a disease of the mind or soul?
Why do people hate each other?
Unfortunately, hatred of each other always takes place in the life of society.
The reason for this may be that all people are different, individual and, accordingly, their actions and views on things are different. Often, differences of opinion lead to quarrels. Such a phenomenon as hatred of a person who is different in some way from all people was even given a name - xenophobia. Many people are accustomed to following stereotypes, thinking primitively and going with the flow of life. But in those moments when a person comes to such a team with his own fresh thoughts and tries to implement them, then all the other members of the team first of all begin to show a strong hostility towards the newcomer. It is possible that such activity by an employee will sooner or later cause hatred from his colleagues. After all, he does not behave the way they want. Here another human trait manifests itself - selfishness. And there is no escape from this, because essentially all people are born selfish. This is where people are programmed to envy and hate those who are doing better than themselves.
But is there any point in hatred?
It is unlikely that such a quality has ever helped anyone in life. Hatred can even ruin a person’s appearance, because a constant lack of mood and a sincere smile does not benefit the skin and nervous system. Is there anything that can be done to avoid the negative feeling of hatred?
To overcome hatred, you need to start loving. After all, how can you have time to enjoy life if you spend all your time on meaningless anger and hatred of others. You need to understand that by letting go of a negative attitude towards other people, you can establish good relationships with them and a lot of problems in life will immediately disappear. Going to work with a friendly team will be much more pleasant. If suddenly such a feeling appears towards a person who has done nothing wrong, you must first understand why hatred appeared towards him, what provoked it? Perhaps such thoughts will help control emotions and will not lead to conflict.
Of course, there is also justified hatred, when a person has actually done something terrible to another. There can be no talk of simple self-control here. A person must decide for himself what to do with the offender: punish him, or let life do it itself. After all, all actions in everyone’s life sooner or later return as a boomerang.
Causes
Xenophobia can be considered as a specific defensive reaction of the body such as aggression. The first reaction to the unknown and novelty is fear. This is fine. And the first reaction to fear is aggression, attack as defense. Thus, xenophobia is a person’s defensive reaction to something that he does not understand or know. Or on those whom a person puts above himself. In principle, any xenophobe is weak and unstable inside.
What else does xenophobia indicate, or what problems underlie it:
- narrow outlook and low level of intelligence;
- low self-esteem;
- psychological rigidity;
- diffidence;
- complexes;
- egoism and egocentrism;
- stereotypical thinking (“all women are stupid, and all dancers are homosexuals);
- fear of loss of social identity (every person is endowed with the need to belong to a group);
- personal negative experience, psychotrauma;
- education that promotes enmity and hatred, stereotypes about someone or something;
- Personal development in conditions of extremist propaganda.
Hatred arises towards those who do not act the way we want them to. Or not in the way we are used to. Some people understand that each person has a different temperament, character, experience, and developmental conditions; and societies differ in culture, traditions, and customs. Other people do not understand this, they are not ready to accept other views, a different way of life. They try to make everyone their own, and if this fails, they begin to hate the one who fought back.
Although we are accustomed to identifying xenophobia with national hostility, in fact the essence of the problem has nothing to do with nations. People from different parts of the world are prone to envy, selfishness, pride, arrogance. Universal human vices are the true cause of xenophobia.
What is xenophobia: definition
Xenophobia is FEAR
. Exactly like that, with a capital “I” – irrational, inexplicable and poorly controlled. This is panicky rejection, rejection, hostility, hatred, the whole spectrum of negative emotions towards everything that falls under the category of “alien”.
The victim of this definition may be a representative of national minorities, a visiting foreign tourist, or just a stranger on the street - the reaction of a xenophobe will be unpredictable, from an attempt to avoid contact and gloomy withdrawal to open manifestations of aggression towards a stranger.
A xenophobe is a person who is afraid, and therefore does not accept, everyone and everything that is alien to him.
Xenophobia in a person arises at the personal level and when interacting with other people in small groups, but the results and consequences of its spread can be costly for the entire state. Unlike other common phobias, such as, for example, fear of spiders or closed spaces, xenophobia is a fear that brings discomfort not so much to the subject as to the external object at which it is directed.
The concept of “xenophobia” should be divided into medical and social aspects. In the first case, it can be manifested in the form of stupor, anxiety or a panic attack that occurs in a xenophobe when it is necessary to interact with strangers. Such people feel uncomfortable in a crowd, in a strange company, in a new city or place; even in a critical situation, a xenophobe most likely will not be able to turn to a stranger for help.
The second case is when interacting exclusively with social strata and groups, xenophobia is expressed in terms of wariness and mistrust to extremist aggression towards representatives of another race, ethnic group, subculture, etc.
Show/Hide text
Do you know that:
If you delve deeper into the meaning of the ancient Greek terms that underlie the word “xenophobia,” you will find that xenophobic people, literally, are “fearful of strangers.”
The word "xenophobia", an elegant term for aversion to strangers, comes from two Greek terms: Xenos
, which can be translated as either "stranger" or "guest", and
Phobos
, which means either "fear" or "flight".
The word "Phobos" is the basic root for all English -phobia terms, but many of the definitions of phobias were actually coined in English or New Latin, using the combination of the new word with the prefix -phobia. The term “xenophobia” itself originated in New Latin and first appeared in print in English in 1903.
Prevention
Carried away by hatred of others, xenophobes forget about their own lives. The best prevention of intolerance is self-interest, love for yourself and your life, understanding the meaning of life.
A few more tips for preventing xenophobia:
- As soon as you feel hatred towards a person, think about what exactly caused these feelings. Are you guided by stereotypes? Are you projecting past grievances onto this person? You know how it happens: a girl was abandoned by a football player, but she could not survive the psychological trauma and now hates all football players. And a lot of similar examples can be given.
- Learn psychological self-regulation and emotion management. Sometimes we subconsciously take out our bad mood and irritation on completely innocent people.
- Accept and love yourself. If you categorically do not accept something about yourself, then there is a high probability that people with the same characteristics will cause anger and hatred in you.
- Cultivate tolerance in yourself. Replace fear with curiosity, develop, learn new things. Be open to new things, expand your horizons.
- Work through psychological trauma, if any. Xenophobia is a subconscious fear of losing individuality, security, and identity. Think about why you are so dependent on your current living conditions, lifestyle, and social circle. Why are you so afraid to become vulnerable, to open up to a stranger.
- Before you hate something, try to understand it. And after that, decide whether it can be present in your life or not. If not, then simply protect yourself from influence. And if this is not possible, then accept it. Our world is so diverse that every person must be able to understand and respect the characteristics of other people, cultures, and communities. You should not accept everything new, but you should respect and understand “others”, “strangers”.
- Don't forget about healthy intolerance. Intolerance to violence, indifference, crime, hostility and xenophobia, because it closely borders on coercion, humiliation, and discrimination. This needs to be dealt with, but using prosocial methods. And you should start with yourself.
Xenophobia is an irrational, uncontrollable fear that makes you feel hatred and hostility towards everything that goes beyond the boundaries of your concept of the norm, beyond the boundaries of your values and attitudes, your way of life. You need to think about what causes these feelings. Why are you so limited by your comfort zone, why are you so rigid, what are you afraid of and what are you really unsure of?
Types of xenophobia
The presence of a tendency towards this phenomenon is not necessary and is not clearly expressed in every case.
Aggressive legal xenophobia is the propaganda of discrimination, extremism and violent methods of struggle. However, its hidden form, expressed in rejection based on persistent prejudices in relation to certain objects, is much more common. Depending on the orientation, these types of xenophobia
How:
- Racial/ethnic
. This includes racism, ethnophobia, anti-Semitism, Sinophobia, etc. - Religious
. A striking example is both the medieval Crusades and modern conflicts between representatives of Christian, Jewish and Islamic religious movements. - Territorial
. There can be both hostility towards foreigners in general and local divisions, for example, enmity between teenagers from neighboring streets or groups from different parts of the city. - Social
. This implies a division of society along any basis: from financial status to cultural preferences and appearance, the most common being sexism and homophobia.
Origins of xenophobia
All people of the 21st century, advanced users of the World Wide Web and all sorts of nano-techno-gadgets, have preserved built-in biological mechanisms - a kind of software from the Stone Age.
At the dawn of human history, everything incomprehensible, different from the usual, caused fear, drawing the image of Babayka in the imagination. And much was incomprehensible to the caveman, so fears and hostility multiplied and were deposited at the level of instincts.
The appearance of strangers was especially frightening. It threatened the established way of life and meant a battle for territory or resources, similar to the one that took place on the Nostromo ship in the film Alien.
Even peace-loving strangers could bring with them microorganisms that were detrimental to the health of the natives (due to the lack of antibodies to them). They had to share sources of food with them - already meager. By introducing themselves into society, uninvited guests brought changes with them and knocked them out of their comfort zone.
One of the modern causes of xenophobia is globalization (the process of universal unification and integration). It gives rise to the fear of losing national and cultural identity and forces people to build a wall between their own and others.
Study of the level of xenophobia in the modern world
The University of Bielefeld (Bielefeld, Germany) conducted a study among 650 respondents from the country between 2015 and 2021.
regarding the level of goodwill, or, conversely, hostility towards immigrants constantly arriving in the country. The PsyMod.ru portal has translated and adapted interesting and, at the same time, shocking data on xenophobia, which you can see in the infographic below.
Vivid examples of xenophobia in history
Xenophobia: what does this mean for large-scale purposes - first of all, manipulation of the masses. A striking example of achieving political goals with the help of such a tool is the Cold War, which lasted from 1946 to 1989 between the USSR and the USA. Leaders of nations, because people were afraid of a nuclear attack from the enemy, infringed on their rights, received enormous power over them, as well as money that went to the development of military programs. And as soon as the Cold War was over, the US authorities stopped instilling fear in people about a nuclear attack, and they immediately began to not care what the enemy was doing. However, in the post-Soviet space this method of manipulation is still used. However, history shows that the leaders of many countries did not disdain such methods of achieving their goals: the Ku Klux Klan killed blacks, the Indian caste system divided people into higher and lower, discrimination against women flourished in many countries, and there are many more such examples.
Causes of xenophobia
Essentially, every person is a xenophobe.
This is inherent in us by nature: it is believed that primary socialization causes the need to unite on the basis of a common characteristic, to draw the line “We” - “They”. Xenophobia in the modern world is no less tenacious than hundreds and thousands of years ago. Massive trends towards multiculturalism and multinationality in modern states lead to the manifestation of natural instincts of protection, group self-identification, and fear of dissolving in the growing ethnic and cultural diversity. The threat to social identity is an important, but not the only reason for the manifestation of xenophobia among the population. It is generated by:
- an ideology that is fashionable and widespread in certain circles; upbringing;
- lack of education leading to fear of the unknown;
- as well as personal experience based on negative experiences and associations.
Why does xenophobia appear in humans?
Scientists believe that humans inherited the mechanisms of xenophobia from animals. Here are the simplest examples.
Many animal species (especially cats) are characterized by territorial behavior. Each animal has its own territory, which cannot be entered by other animals of the same species “without the permission” of the owner. The owner of the territory, as a rule, can allow females into his territory, but does not allow males.
Fear of strangers is due to the fact that the stranger may turn out to be an adversary. He can kill or maim, take away food, a female, or seize territory. Also, strangers may be carriers of pathogenic organisms new to the area.
Russian biologist V. R. Dolnik found that animals have a feeling of hostility towards closely related species and subspecies. Dolnik explains this by the need to preserve his genetic material and pass it on to his offspring.
Of course, animals are not aware of all these mechanisms; they are recorded at the level of instincts. It was this irrational feeling that was transmitted from animals to people, beginning to function in new conditions. In humans, the role of signs of a “different species” is played by a different language, clothing, customs, skin color, etc.
But it is impossible to explain the problem only by the action of ancient instincts, since a person still has consciousness; instincts in human life actually play an insignificant role, at least that is what modern researchers believe. Xenophobia in modern human society is explained rather by phenomena of an ideological nature. State propaganda strives to be a substitute for intelligence for the common man, thanks to which he receives a “rational” explanation for his irrational impulses - instincts and prejudices. More precisely, the illusion of a rational explanation. How often do ordinary people believe completely wild and implausible stories made up by officials about those peoples who should be hated.
Fear of closely related species and subspecies, however, in a certain sense is also true for humans. Let us remember that Russians hate Ukrainians and Poles most of all (and they answer them in the same way). Swedes and Danes mutually dislike each other. Serbs and Croats hate each other fiercely. And the Arabs and Jews - also, in general, closely related peoples - hate each other absolutely savagely. The only exceptions are the Azerbaijanis and Turks, who truly treat each other like brothers. It is difficult to say why close nations mutually hate each other, while the haters themselves most often cannot adequately explain their behavior.
Most xenophobes are people with a low level of education and a low standard of living. Such people cling to a system of traditional values, which the “enemies” are trying to destroy, and are uncritical of government regulations and the “cultural mainstream.” But there are many xenophobes among the educated population, as well as among representatives of the middle class in general.
At the same time, xenophobes profess many mutually exclusive paragraphs, although they do not realize this, which proves the irrational nature of xenophobia. Hating other countries and their inhabitants, they gladly use goods produced in other countries. They also complain about the problems of the domestic economy, despite the fact that the indispensable conditions for the successful functioning of the economy are partnerships with other countries and foreign investment. Patriotism often develops into xenophobia.
How to get rid of xenophobia
If we consider the situation as a clinical phobia, then its treatment directly depends on the degree of involvement and voluntary consent of the patient.
If a person is aware of the need to overcome, the origins of it and is ready for change, then a series of sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist (depending on the complexity of the case) is quite capable of solving the problem. Sometimes during therapy, medication is used to help the patient reduce anxiety and get rid of panic attacks in the presence of strangers. Less common, but no less effective, is the use of hypnotic suggestion.
How to treat xenophobia
Getting rid of irrational attitudes is not an easy task. If you fight the external manifestations of xenophobia, it will still remain, it will just take other forms. Calling for “common sense” to people who are xenophobic often doesn’t work: even if a xenophobe has this “common sense,” he will subconsciously still avoid those “not like that,” although outwardly he will think the opposite.
However, if the patient sincerely understands his problem and wants to be cured, the task becomes easier. A psychotherapist or psychologist gets down to business, approaching xenophobia like any other phobia. The specialist finds out the roots of fears and helps to get rid of wrong beliefs. The methods used are conversations and trainings, and sometimes hypnosis. In severe cases, drug treatment may help.
At the heart of xenophobia is a certain “image of the stranger.” This image is made up of prejudices and has little connection with the real characteristics of the “stranger.” Elements of the image are urban legends, religious myths, speculation and outdated information. The bearer of xenophobia does not feel the need to check this mental construct for compliance with reality; often he does not even separate one from the other. Therefore, in getting rid of xenophobia, first of all, you need to point out to the patient that it is a construct. You can approach his problem step by step - during a detailed conversation, establish why exactly he hates this category of people; After this, real arguments are given that destroy his point of view. In this situation, the patient has only two options: either admit his mistake - and then he will begin to take measures to recover (if he realizes the consequences of his mistake), or completely withdraw into himself and continue to hate the mental doll of the enemy, only now consciously (so to speak, without leaving your apartment). This is also a kind of recovery option - a person consciously renounces reality in favor of the illusory world.
Prevention of xenophobia
In modern society, the concepts of “youth” and “xenophobia” are often linked through various extremist movements, such as neo-fascism, neo-Nazism, skinheads, etc. This type of xenophobia is, first of all, the result of ideology and education, and therefore requires mass prevention at the state level .
To prevent the emergence of xenophobic ideas among the younger generation, the following means are needed:
- Condemnation of xenophobia as an ideology.
- Promoting the principles of tolerance and tolerance.
- Replacing fear with curiosity through the study of the unknown, familiarization with foreign cultures, religions, nationalities through mass events.
- Timely identification of extremist tendencies and neutralization of groups supporting socially dangerous movements.
- Fostering the ideas of equality and respect at the level of the family, mass media, educational and educational institutions.
Symptoms of xenophobia
A person suffering from xenophobia perceives an unknown or unfamiliar external element as a personal potential threat to himself or his loved ones. Xenophobia is often an impulsive, exaggerated and unfounded feeling. Symptoms that occur when meeting a foreigner or stranger in a person suffering from this disease:
- anxiety;
- shortness of breath;
- panic attacks;
- shiver;
- profuse sweating;
- nausea;
- accelerated pulse.
Symptoms of xenophobia occur when a person goes to extreme measures to avoid interacting with a stranger.
One of the clearest examples of xenophobia
A teacher at a Jewish school in Arizona (USA) was fired after a series of comments she made on the microblogging service Twitter.
In one of the correspondences on the microblog, Bonnie Vern spoke insultingly and aggressively about immigrants in the United States, suggesting that they simply kill them all.
After such statements from the school teacher, students, their parents and relatives bombarded the school principal with condemning messages, arguing that a person with xenophobic and racist tendencies could not and should not be a teacher.
The wave of indignation and condemnation did its job - the teacher was fired, and her profile on the social network was immediately deleted with all her messages.
Story
Global mass phobias based on xenophobia arise in the modern era. The “great xenophobias” were formed in Europe, but took on a global character and spread not only to the countries of the “European world.” By the beginning of the 20th century, the “great xenophobia” included the concepts of the “world Jewish conspiracy” and the “yellow peril.” Moreover, these two phobias could merge into one world conspiracy theory. Thus, the far-right Russian politician Vladimir Purishkevich stated that Jews are deliberately sabotaging the fight against the looming “yellow danger” in order to undermine the power of Russia, and Mikhail Menshikov stated that Jews and Chinese are united by “economic parasitism” and “the ancient claim of Asia to own us.”
At the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, they were replaced by the concepts of “Islamic threat” and “invasion of migrants”. However, there are also other options for using the concepts of “great xenophobia”, for example, statements that “Western civilization” led by Jews pursues the goal of suppressing the “Islamic world” before further confrontation with the “yellow civilization”.
Xenophobes in our country
Even in a state where internationalism was elevated to the rank of official ideology, xenophobia (as well as nationalism) was and remains a hot topic.
During the Soviet era, the image of an external enemy and distrust of everything alien was cultivated. At different periods these were merchants, nobles, “kulaks”, clergy, representatives of objectionable parties and movements.
The idea that there are strangers around has been instilled into the mass consciousness since childhood. A striking illustration of such “education” is a poem by Sergei Mikhalkov about a Soviet pioneer who had a nightmare: he is on the deck of a foreign ship sailing to another country, and there are Americans around him.
The pioneer is scared, he tries to run away, dreaming of one thing: to return to the USSR. The alarm ringing saves him from the nightmare.
Contacts with foreigners were limited, marriages with them were undesirable. Not everything went well with the declared friendship of peoples either. Anti-Semitism, “unreliable” and therefore resettled peoples (Crimean Tatars), titular and non-titular nations - this gave rise to manifestations of xenophobia.
After the collapse of the USSR, hostility to outsiders intensified, and the No. 1 object of dislike in the post-Soviet space became the “big brother” - the Russian population, which was held responsible for past and present difficulties. This was especially evident in the Baltic countries, Ukraine, Moldova, and Transcaucasia.
A powerful impetus to xenophobia was given by the war in Chechnya and the increased danger of international terrorism. Gradually, migrants became objects of hostility, perceived as carriers of an alien culture and unwanted competitors.
What is the danger of xenophobia and how to combat it
All types of xenophobia have a destructive beginning . They provoke division according to different criteria and criteria, giving rise to hostility, because hostility towards strangers is manifested not only in words.
Aggression (even murder) towards foreign students and migrants, armed clashes on religious grounds, Nazi appeals - these are the consequences of this phenomenon.
Extremism can arise from open xenophobia - this is a commitment to extreme measures in solving problems with experienced hostility and fear.
Xenophobia is cultivated by extremist ultranationalist groups, and political forces are often behind its supposedly spontaneous manifestations.
How to deal with this “disease” that most people are susceptible to?
- Study the unknown - the culture and characteristics of other peoples, groups of people, etc. To get rid of fear and hostility, you need to know the “enemy in person.”
- From an early age, cultivate tolerance (what is this?) and an understanding that people are different - in skin color, weight, interests and beliefs.
- Explain the destructive nature of xenophobia, condemning its manifestations.
- Uncontrollable panic attacks and severe discomfort when interacting with strangers require the help of a psychotherapist and psychologist.
It is impossible to prohibit hating people with different habits, religion, and skin color. Prevention of xenophobia is designed to smooth out irrational fear, preventing it from transforming into extreme forms.
What to do with a xenophobe
Xenophobic views of an individual can be easily corrected (with the condition of early seeking help and competently conducted therapy). It is possible to remove a phobia, but only if the main condition is met:
Timely fight and correction of xenophobic sentiments helps to avoid dangerous manifestations of such phobia: extremism, criminal manifestations, racism. Xenophobia is a type of phobic disorder. Phobias can be successfully treated with the help of psychotherapeutic measures.
Cultivating tolerance is one of the methods for preventing xenophobia
Trainings, group classes, and explanatory conversations help overcome inherent fears and prejudices. In cases of severe disorder, hypnotherapy methods are used. If necessary, psychocorrection is accompanied by drug treatment.
Prevention of xenophobia
For the spread of a dangerous phobia, a very important step is to carry out preventive measures. Competent prevention is especially important among adolescents and young adults. Prevention to prevent xenophobia should cover the following areas:
Social. Carrying out measures aimed at improving the psychological microclimate in certain areas and regions. Providing support to vulnerable segments of the population, small ethnic groups and individual national groups.
Economic. Improving living standards, solving the problem of unemployment and employment of citizens.
Measures aimed at preventing and combating xenophobia
Political. Organization of mass events aimed at introducing the cultural traditions of neighboring peoples. Such work is carried out after careful monitoring of the existing socio-economic situation in a particular region (existing interethnic sentiments are taken into account).
Educational. It is carried out through programs aimed at developing among the population a respectful attitude towards representatives of other races, nationalities and religious denominations.
Informational. With the use of active propaganda activities aimed at awakening tolerance and humanism. At the same time, the fight against the dissemination of extremist information is being carried out.
Cultural. Carrying out mass events based on the traditions of different nationalities (national holidays, familiarization with cultural and ethnic traditions).
The more areas the prevention of xenophobia covers, the more effective the outcome of preventive measures will be. With the help of regional authorities and the influence of the older generation, the phenomenon of xenophobia can be reduced to an absolute minimum in modern society, making people's lives safe and multifaceted.
Xenophobia and anti-Semitism
In many undeveloped countries, manifestations of xenophobia and, in particular, anti-Semitism go hand in hand. Why does this happen and how to deal with the problem?
Initially, it should be explained that anti-Semitism is a process of discrimination (infringement of rights) of Jews for certain reasons. There is a clear pattern here: the more mature a society is, the less xenophobia it has. However, even at the global level, it is too early to talk about a solution to the problem, since UNESCO officials recently adopted a resolution excluding the historical right of Jews to the Temple Mount, the walls of Jerusalem and the Old City.
