The Everyday Psychology of Nationalism<\/a> by Monica Kim in The Atlantic.<\/p>\nThe Text:<\/strong> It was a good old-fashioned Olympic scandal in Sochi, when South Korean figure skater Kim Yuna, known as \u201cthe Queen,\u201d lost to a less experienced Russian. The judgment spurred millions of angry Tweets, and a Change.org petition protesting the result was the fastest growing one on site record\u2014reportedly more than 1.2 million signatures in about 12 hours.<\/p>\nSkating officials and fans around the world have questioned the decision, but critics remain focused on the South Korean outrage, largely since their sports fanaticism has made headlines before. Diehard citizens of countries like South Korea may seem odd to some; a post on Yahoo had the misguided headline: \u201cDeal with it, South Korea.\u201d But that injunction doesn’t really understand the nature and depth of nationalist feeling\u2014and the extent to which a sentiment often associated with extremism, even war, can be pervasive in the psychology of everyday life, including in sports fandom.<\/p>\n
The ideology of nationalism has a complex history, originating in early-modern Europe and evolving in many different ways as it’s spread throughout the world. Today nationalism can be civic, ethnic, or a combination of the two, but all nationalists \u201ccarry strong attitudes and beliefs about their own people and about others, who feel their attachment to their nation passionately, and who even, at times, act with great cruelty against their enemies,\u201d according to Joshua Searle-White in his book The Psychology of Nationalism. This \u201cus versus them\u201d mentality and its negative effects\u2014pogroms, Nazism\u2014have been well examined from a political and historical standpoint, but surprisingly few have studied its psychological roots. From a social psychological perspective, nationalist sentiment is thought to stem from two main points: attachment and identity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Basic cognitive development theories, like those of Jean Piaget, suggest that children undergo a socialization process that moves from the egocentric to the sociocentric, as they build attachments to groups to fulfill their basic human needs. According to an essay by Daniel Druckman, \u201cAt the level of the nation, the group fulfills economic, sociocultural, and political needs, giving individuals a sense of security, a feeling of belonging, and prestige.\u201d Numerous theories from psychologists like Freud and Maslow agree that the need to belong is a fundamental human motivation; national attachment can fulfill that need and help individuals construct their identity.<\/p>\n
Henri Tajfel\u2019s social identity theory suggests that a person\u2019s identity is based in part on his or her group, so a group\u2019s status and importance affects the individual\u2019s own. In other words, you want to view your nation as being superior to others to increase your own self-esteem, creating \u201cin-group favoritism\u201d and \u201cout-group devaluation\u201d (Example: the classic \u201cU! S! A!\u201d chant).<\/p>\n
\u201cI would argue that we human beings have a constant need to improve our sense of ourselves. The easiest way to do that is to compare ourselves to others\u2014and see \u2018us\u2019 as better than \u2018them\u2019,\u201d says Searle-White, a professor of psychology at Allegheny College. Yet some countries seem to inspire more group loyalty than others. There are many theories, none concrete, for why this is, but it seems to depend on historical, cultural, and situational context.<\/p>\n
Some psychologists theorize that a nation\u2019s size and military power, as well as past military conflicts, have the greatest effect on nationalistic tendency. Druckman, a professor at George Mason University and a scholar at Macquarie University in Sydney, suggests that smaller countries that feel threatened by unsavory neighbors and are less well-equipped to handle attacks are more prone to nationalism. The constant threats and feelings of insecurity at a national level seep down to the individual\u2014is my country strong enough?\u2014and since people draw self-esteem and status from their country, the common reaction is to lash out against feelings of inferiority by displaying a sense of superiority.<\/p>\n
Basic cognitive development theories, like those of Jean Piaget, suggest that children undergo a socialization process that moves from the egocentric to the sociocentric, as they build attachments to groups to fulfill their basic human needs. According to an essay by Daniel Druckman, \u201cAt the level of the nation, the group fulfills economic, sociocultural, and political needs, giving individuals a sense of security, a feeling of belonging, and prestige.\u201d Numerous theories from psychologists like Freud and Maslow agree that the need to belong is a fundamental human motivation; national attachment can fulfill that need and help individuals construct their identity.<\/p>\n
Henri Tajfel\u2019s social identity theory suggests that a person\u2019s identity is based in part on his or her group, so a group\u2019s status and importance affects the individual\u2019s own. In other words, you want to view your nation as being superior to others to increase your own self-esteem, creating \u201cin-group favoritism\u201d and \u201cout-group devaluation\u201d (Example: the classic \u201cU! S! A!\u201d chant).<\/p>\n
\u201cI would argue that we human beings have a constant need to improve our sense of ourselves. The easiest way to do that is to compare ourselves to others\u2014and see \u2018us\u2019 as better than \u2018them\u2019,\u201d says Searle-White, a professor of psychology at Allegheny College. Yet some countries seem to inspire more group loyalty than others. There are many theories, none concrete, for why this is, but it seems to depend on historical, cultural, and situational context.<\/p>\n
Some psychologists theorize that a nation\u2019s size and military power, as well as past military conflicts, have the greatest effect on nationalistic tendency. Druckman, a professor at George Mason University and a scholar at Macquarie University in Sydney, suggests that smaller countries that feel threatened by unsavory neighbors and are less well-equipped to handle attacks are more prone to nationalism. The constant threats and feelings of insecurity at a national level seep down to the individual\u2014is my country strong enough?\u2014and since people draw self-esteem and status from their country, the common reaction is to lash out against feelings of inferiority by displaying a sense of superiority.<\/p>\n
In South Korea as elsewhere, group loyalty plays out not just in global politics but, even particularly, in global competitions like sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf my country is small and I have bad neighbors, and therefore I feel I have to be vigilant all the time, the idea of being small, threatened, and vigilant should translate into other areas of life, such as sports,\u201d Druckman says. A country that might feel weak and unable to defend itself, like South Korea\u2014whose nationalist sore points relate to numerous invasions from Japan and China, the Japanese occupation through World War II, the war and continuing conflict with North Korea\u2014will react instinctively to perceived slights or unfairness in athletics as well. \u201cI think the vociferousness of the reaction relates back to a feeling of some kind of cultural inferiority,\u201d Druckman adds. \u201cThe situational, contextual roots of insecurity lead to extreme patriotic identification as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though nationalism is a global phenomenon, it’s the forms it takes can be very local. For example, \u201ca member of a small and disenfranchised minority will likely experience nationalism differently than will a member of a majority group in a powerful country,\u201d Searle-White notes in his book. <\/p>\n
In the years since South Korea\u2019s last Winter Olympic outrage\u2014Kim Dong-sung\u2019s speed skating loss in 2002\u2014the country has grown in many ways. Samsung, once a smaller South Korean producer, became the world\u2019s largest electronics company by revenue, outselling Apple in smartphones. Seoul was crowned an it travel destination, and Gangnam became a household name. And, of course, there was Kim Yuna\u2019s Olympic win in Vancouver 2010. In some ways, South Korea\u2019s overpowering nationalism has lessened, as noted in The New York Times:<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Koreans often treated sports as an avenue to affirm the national pride they desperately wanted\u2026 Chung Hee-joon, a professor of sports science at Dong-A University, attributed the change in part to recent self-reflection on an excessive nationalism in South Korean sports and other areas that critics liken to methamphetamine.<\/p>\n
\u2018Nothing elevated the superiority of being Korean and Korean blood abroad more than sports,\u2019 he said.\u201d
\nGiven all the negatives, it may seem counterintuitive that there can be positive mental and emotional benefits to national loyalty. But, as Searle-White says in his book, \u201cnationalism is not inherently evil; indeed, devotion to a nation can bring out transcendent qualities in people, facilitating selflessness, courage, and idealism.\u201d It\u2019s not far-fetched to imagine that South Koreans\u2019 loyalty and love for their country helped them make the many cultural and economic advancements they now take pride in.<\/p>\n
According to Druckman, there are several theoretical benefits to nationalism. The first goes back to the idea that group loyalty bolsters self-esteem and that the more loyal you are, the more pride you gain. Then there\u2019s the theory that more nationalistic people are more willing to fight and die for their country, while the idea that \u201cwe\u2019re all in this together\u201d creates a stronger group and reinforces that primitive sense of pride.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something we can\u2019t change very easily, and therefore anything that reinforces it can make us feel better,\u201d Druckman says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing quite so psychologically satisfying as the feeling of belonging to a group,\u201d Searle-White explains. \u201cNationalism can be remarkably unifying, and unlike class or some versions of religious identity, it can do it across gender, class, and political lines.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many South Koreans will never forgive the perceived injustice of Kim Yuna\u2019s loss in Sochi; some may seek retribution in four years when the 2018 Winter Olympics begin in Pyeongchang. Others are now embarrassed by their compatriots\u2019 zeal. But the country\u2019s unity is still apparent if you look at the way South Koreans rallied behind their Olympic star. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave a gift to all of us by showing that there was nothing impossible,\u201d the daily Chosun newspaper said in an editorial, as reported by The New York Times. \u201cYuna elevated the national prestige.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Article: The Everyday Psychology of Nationalism by Monica Kim in The Atlantic. The Text: It was a good old-fashioned Olympic scandal in Sochi, when South Korean figure skater Kim Yuna, known as \u201cthe Queen,\u201d lost to a less experienced Russian. The judgment spurred millions of angry Tweets, and a Change.org petition protesting the result […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[259],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"Nationalism](\"http:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/nationalism-psychology-olympics.jpg\")
<\/p>\n