Xenophobia – what is it and how to treat it?

The meaning of the word xenophobia literally translated from Greek means “fear of a stranger” (xenos - “stranger, foreigner”, phobos - “fear, fear”). Sufferers believe that strangers of other nationalities can somehow harm them. This may provoke a violent reaction towards the stranger, resulting in a physical or verbal attack. Sometimes a xenophobic person prefers to move away from direct clashes and acute situations to a safe place. What is xenophobia, why it arises, how to avoid it and its place in the modern world.

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.

Reasons for the development of the phenomenon

The problem of the development of such a syndrome is difficult to provide any clear scientific explanations, because the causes of xenophobia are very difficult to identify (compared to other manifestations of phobias). Psychologists note that the emergence of xenophobia is not associated with specific biological reasons. The following factors play a major role in the flourishing of xenophobic views and sentiments:

1. Social, based on the blurred ideas of individuals about the equality of all people on the planet.
2. The isolated position of certain ethnic cultures. The nuances of their historical division and formation into independent nations.

When considering the causes of xenophobia, the individual reasons for the development of this syndrome should also be taken into account. Such a phobia may have its origins in psycho-emotional trauma received in childhood, various circumstances that dramatically changed the social worldview .

Reasons for the emergence of xenophobia

Most often, xenophobia begins with certain views of parents and is formed already in childhood. The media also contribute to the formation and development of existing prejudices into an obvious phobia.

How to recognize the disorder

Who is a xenophobe at an early stage? This disorder can be identified by the following distinctive signs (at the initial stage):

• fear of people of a different appearance (Asians, Arabs, blacks);
• fear of the street (a person is afraid to leave the confines of his house/apartment);
• pronounced maximalism and lack of tolerance (patience);
• inability (some internal barrier) to seek help from people who are strangers;
• the appearance of unpleasant discomfort in transport, institutions (fear of prying eyes);
• manifestation of panic attacks in crowded places (a person is sometimes horrified even by an unfamiliar phone call).

Individuals with already formed xenophobic views try not to demonstrate their beliefs once again. Modern society does not welcome aggressive 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.

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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.

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.

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.

Examples of xenophobia

History knows many cases when xenophobia led to large-scale tragedies. All known genocides were committed out of xenophobic motives. The reason could be ethnic or religious views, but in all such cases people succumbed to uncontrollable hatred towards those whom they considered a threat to themselves. Also, xenophobia is the cause of most wars. Yes, people fought for resources and land. But in order for the people to consider it acceptable to fight with their neighbors, xenophobic sentiments were necessary, and rulers always skillfully took advantage of this.

The religious wars of the Middle Ages can be considered the most striking historical examples of xenophobia, because the main motivation in them was precisely the fight against someone else’s religion. Such wars occurred both on a global scale (the Crusades) and on a local scale (the wars of the 16th and 17th centuries between Protestants and Catholics in Europe). In this context, it is also worth mentioning the confrontation between Old Believers and New Believers in Rus'. The Second World War, which became the bloodiest and cruelest in history, also occurred due to xenophobic sentiments that were successfully cultivated in German society by the NSDAP (Hitler's party).

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.

Xenophobia and racism

Many people confuse the concepts of xenophobia and racism. What is the fundamental difference between the terms presented? What are the most effective treatment options for racism?

Racism is just one type of xenophobia, which is based on a person’s belonging to a certain race. For example, in the United States, this type of disease is very common, since historically, “white” people considered themselves a more privileged class than people with dark skin color. Racism therapy involves a whole range of psychological training aimed at suppressing hostility towards people of a different race.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

1. Condemnation of xenophobia as an ideology.
2. Promoting the principles of tolerance and tolerance.
3. Replacing fear with curiosity through the study of the unknown, familiarization with foreign cultures, religions, nationalities through mass events.
4. Timely identification of extremist tendencies and neutralization of groups supporting socially dangerous movements.
5. Fostering the ideas of equality and respect at the level of the family, mass media, educational and educational institutions.

Xenophobia and extremism

There is an opinion that xenophobia and extremism are inseparable concepts that denote a model of aggressive behavior. I would like to know how they are related to each other?

Of course, extremism and xenophobia are closely related, but there are a number of differences in these definitions. The fact is that xenophobia (a manifestation of intolerance) is the main source of extremism, which is aimed at suppressing dissent in society or achieving other goals. Xenophobia is spontaneous in nature, and extremism is a clearly structured ideology of organized groups, less often of individuals.

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.

Types and forms

Xenophobia is a very common disorder that can take many forms. In fact, fear can be caused by any object that differs from the usual environment. Thus, the disorder may manifest itself in the form of a pathological fear of people of a certain race. The object of intolerance can be a person of any religion or even a representative of a separate social class.

There are 6 main forms of xenophobia, but there can be many more of them, because only common types that form a serious problem for both the individual and society as a whole are taken into account.

Racial xenophobia

Once they gain power, people with such views become very dangerous.

This form is the most common. Examples of racial xenophobia can easily be found in the recent past, remembering the persecution of Jews during the Second World War. Hatred towards a certain race, while elevating one's own race, is a clear example of mass xenophobia, which has claimed the lives of millions of people.

In fact, this form is extreme and is based on racial discrimination. One race is perceived as inferior, while one's own is considered gifted, superior, superior, etc.

Racial xenophobia can act as a feature of the thinking of one person, but it often occurs in the form of mass phobia.

If we talk about personal xenophobia, it manifests itself as one person’s fear of representatives of other races. Thus, a person with such a disorder may experience real horror at the sight of black people, Asians, etc. The problem is that it is very difficult to distinguish pathological fear from manifestations of racism.

Mass xenophobia is an extremely dangerous phenomenon. There have been many sad examples in history that should have taught us to nip xenophobia in the bud.

The root of racial xenophobia may lie at the top of the government. Then the superiority of one race and the humiliation of another is spread by the media. This can reach the point of absurdity, for example, ousting from history all events in which representatives of the “undesirable” race distinguished themselves, or changing well-known facts in favor of the “superior” race. Again, an example is the work of propaganda in Nazi Germany in the 20th century.

Adherents of racial xenophobia as a worldview often hide their beliefs, but try with all their might to worsen the lives of representatives of the hateful race. So, if a xenophobe occupies a high position, he may refuse employment to representatives of other races. It is worse if the doctor turns out to be an avid xenophobe and does not treat those in need because of their race.

According to psychologists and psychiatrists, racial xenophobia is a vivid example of a paranoid syndrome. Over time, he progresses into real paranoia. Interestingly, there have been recorded cases in which racial xenophobia was the first symptom of paranoid schizophrenia.

Religious form

The religious manifestation of xenophobia is another form taken to the point of absurdity. As the name implies, the target is a follower of any other religious denomination.

Interestingly, this form of xenophobia is considered the most ancient. It manifested itself already when some pagans endowed various natural phenomena with divine patrons, while others leaned toward animism.

A typical example is the conflicts between followers of Judaism and Islam. A historical example is the Crusades.

Characteristics of territorial xenophobia

Territorial xenophobia refers to hostility towards all foreigners who set foot on foreign territory. An example of territorial xenophobia is conflicts over disputed territories, on the basis of which hatred arises between citizens of different states. Such xenophobia in Russia is manifested among some citizens in connection with recent events in Crimea.

A complex example of xenophobia, in which racial hostility and territorial components are intertwined, is the tense situation in the Gaza Strip and relations between Israelis and Palestinians.

This form of xenophobia is inherent in teenagers from different countries who are aggressive towards “outsiders” - children from another school or from a neighboring area.

Social xenophobia

At first glance, the meaning of social xenophobia is difficult to understand, because it would seem that modern society is quite tolerant. However, this common form of xenophobia is manifested by hostility, hatred and aggression towards people of higher social status. Thus, people with average incomes can truly hate wealthy citizens, millionaires and local oligarchs.

As an example, consider the attitude of ordinary people towards those in power.

Other forms

Negative attitudes towards homosexuals are one of the most striking problems in the post-Soviet space

The following forms of xenophobia are also distinguished:

• homophobia;
• sexism;
• migrantophobia;
• ageism.

All these forms are very common in modern society. Homophobia is one of the main manifestations of social xenophobia in Russia and the CIS countries. It is manifested by hostility and intolerance towards representatives of minority groups.

Sexism is relatively uncommon, but it becomes a real problem for people around a person with such a worldview. This phenomenon is manifested by intolerance to people of the opposite sex. Sexism takes on the characteristics of racial xenophobia - members of the opposite sex are perceived as inferior beings, unworthy of attention.

Migrant phobia is a new youth form of xenophobia, especially common in European countries. This form of violation poses a real problem in France, due to the large influx of refugees. As the name makes clear, it manifests itself in fear, hatred and aggression towards people who have emigrated to the migrantphobe’s home country.

Ageism is perceived by many as an immoral form of xenophobia. It manifests itself as hostility towards people of different age groups. Young people can show aggression towards older citizens, and young children are often the target of ageism.

About nationalism

Nationalism is not fully xenophobic, but is seen as a separate worldview. However, racial and religious xenophobia can take on a national scale. The essence of this phenomenon is humiliation, rejection and rejection of any strangers and people of a different nationality.

Nationalism can take on distorted forms, then hatred and aggression can be directed even at fellow citizens who simply do not share the opinion of the nationalist.

What kind of fear is this and its types

This phobia is quite common in the modern world. Refers to fear directed at strangers or those who are different in some way. In the subconscious, a person is afraid not of the personality itself, but of the possibility of losing individuality and cultural identity. As a rule, this fear carries with it certain consequences. A person experiencing fear lacks public and legislative support. As a rule, such a phobia has a serious impact on the psyche of the individual. Everything unusual and new is perceived with caution and distrust, with an innate attitude.

Xenophobia is characterized by the presence of two forums, differing in their manifestations:

• hidden - a person believes in stereotypes, is convinced that gypsies, for example, are all thieves without exception, and at the same time reacts quite normally when they approach him;
• aggressive (quite dangerous) - when a xenophobe is capable of causing physical harm to people who are different from him and even dealing with them, in particular Muslims, blacks and Jews. This also includes extremism, which is discrimination aimed at migrants.

There are four main types of xenophobia.

1. Racial intolerance is when one nationality feels superior to other peoples. A characteristic manifestation is the emergence of fascism. A typical example for Russia is the beating of people who do not belong to the Slavic culture by youth movements.
2. Social xenophobia is the non-acceptance of strangers in a certain region, those who are able to take jobs necessary for indigenous people. The natives also hate newcomers who are more successful than them.
3. Religious. Adherents of one religion, which is the main one in the state, unite against other religious communities. For example, the attitude of Orthodox Christians towards Muslims in Russia today is much worse than it was under the Soviet Union. The explanation is that terrorist attacks are carried out by people of this faith.
4. Territorial. The difference is demonstrated by individuals located in the same territory. An example of such xenophobia is the rivalry between teenage groups in different districts of the same city. This also includes the division into rural and urban, into people living in the city center and on its outskirts.

Treatment and self-help methods

Getting rid of xenophobia is not easy . This is due to the fact that it is often imposed at the state level. In addition, such views may be ingrained in the culture in which a person was raised. That is, many literally absorb certain views on society with their mother’s milk and believe that there is “us” and there is “them.” At the same time, “we” are the bearers of correct, understandable views and ideas, and “they” are by default enemies, since they do not share “our” views and cultural traditions.

However, there are ways to help cope with your internal xenophobia :

1. Learn more about the representatives of the group that causes unpleasant emotions, that is, about the object of your fear. Often, getting to know a person who belongs to a group that caused negative emotions helps get rid of hostility. For example, the degree of xenophobia in American society decreased sharply after the legendary trip to the Artek camp by an ordinary schoolgirl from the United States, Samantha Smith. The trip took place in 1983. Returning to her homeland, the girl said in an interview that Soviet children are no different from little Americans and talked about how her vacation on the Black Sea coast went. “Public diplomacy” bore fruit, and the image of a Russian person in the minds of US residents became less frightening.
2. Analyze the reasons for which xenophobia arose. Like any phobia, xenophobia is always irrational. When its signs appear, a person should think about what exactly causes him fear and whether he has real justifications. Does it make sense to be afraid of a representative of another culture? Does he pose a real danger? Maybe negative emotions are just the result of propaganda or unconscious attitudes towards strangers? By analyzing your emotions, you can bring them to a conscious level and get rid of the phobia.
3. Accept a new picture of the world . The modern world is no longer divided into many local closed societies. We live in an era of globalization, when division into groups is arbitrary. Wariness at the sight of a stranger is inevitable and genetically determined, but it should not turn into hate crimes or attempts to stop progress.
4. Contact a psychologist . People who suffer from “psychological” xenophobia will benefit from working with a psychotherapist. A specialist will help you figure out the reasons for the fear and get rid of it once and for all.

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