why we fear the unknown

8/13/2019 Why We Fear the Unknown

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Why We Fear the Unknown

We are quick to judge, fear and even hate the unknown. We may not admit it, but we

are all plagued with xenophobic tendencies.

By Jeffrey Winters, published on ay !", #!!# $ last reviewed on June "%, #!"#

Balbir Singh Sodhi was shot to death on September 15, 2001 in Mesa, Arizona. His killer claimed to

be eactingre!enge"or the terrorist attacks o" September 11. #pon his arrest, the m$rderer

sho$ted, %& stand "or America all the wa'.% (ho$gh Sodhi wore a t$rban and co$ld trace his ancestr'

to So$th Asia, he shared neither ethnicit' norreligionwith thes$icidehi)ackers. Sodhi*who was

killed at the gas station where he worked*died )$st "or being di""erent in a nation gripped with "ear.

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+or Arab and M$slim Americans, times ha!e been tr'ing. (he' ha!e been harassed at work andtheir propert' has been !andalized. An Arab San +rancisco shop owner recalled withangerthat his

"i!e'earold da$ghter was ta$nted b' namecallers. -lassmates wo$ld 'ell %terrorist% as she walked

b'.

$blic leaders "rom resident /eorge . B$sh on down ha!e called "or tolerance. B$t the -enter "or

American&slamic elations in ashington, .-., tallied some 1,300 incidents o" ab$se against

M$slims in the "i!e months "ollowing September 11. espite o$r better nat$re, it seems, "ear o"

"oreigners or other strangeseeming people comes o$t when we are $nder stress. (hat "ear, known

as enophobia, seems almost hardwired into the h$man ps'che.

esearchers are disco!ering the etent to which enophobia can be easil'*e!en arbitraril'*t$rned

on. &n )$st ho$rs, we can be conditioned to "ear or discriminate against those who di""er "rom

o$rsel!es b' characteristics as s$per"icial as e'e color. 4!en ideas we belie!e are )$st common

sense can ha!e deep enophobic $nderpinnings. esearch cond$cted at Har!ard re!eals that e!en

among people who claim to ha!e no bias,the more strongl' one s$pports the ethnic pro"iling o"

Arabs at airportsec$rit' checkpoints, the more hidden pre)$dice one has against M$slims.

B$t other research shows that when it comes to whom we "ear and how we react, we do ha!e a

choice. e can, it seems, choose not to gi!e in to o$r enophobic tendencies.

(he Melting ot

America prides itsel" on being a melting pot o" c$lt$res, b$t how we react to newcomers is o"ten at

odds with that sel"image. s'chologist Mark$s emmelmeier, at the #ni!ersit' o" 6e!ada at eno,

st$ck stamped letters $nder the windshield wipers o" parked cars in a s$b$rb o" etroit. Hal" were

addressed to a "ictitio$s -hristian organization, hal" to a made$p M$slim gro$p. 7" all the letters,

hal" had little stickers o" the American "lag.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/authors/jeffrey-wintershttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/punishmenthttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/punishmenthttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/religionhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/religionhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/religionhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/suicidehttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/suicidehttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/fearhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/angerhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/angerhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/angerhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/environmental-psychologyhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/stresshttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/biashttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/biashttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/identityhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/punishmenthttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/religionhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/suicidehttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/fearhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/angerhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/environmental-psychologyhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/stresshttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/biashttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/identityhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/authors/jeffrey-winters


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winningteam@ another is to pla' $p the ?$alities o" 'o$r own gro$p and denigrate the attrib$tes o"

others so that 'o$ "eel 'o$r gro$p is better.

(a)"el and ($rner called their insight %social identit' theor',% which has pro!ed !al$able

"or $nderstandinghow pre)$dices de!elop. /i!en e!en the slenderest o" criteria, we nat$rall' split

people into two gro$ps*an %ingro$p% and an %o$tgro$p.% (he categories can be o" geopolitical

importance*nationalit', religion, race, lang$age*or the' can be as seemingl' inconse?$ential as

handedness, hair color or e!en height.

7nce the di!ision is made, the in"erences and pro)ections begin to occ$r. +or one, we tend to think

more highl' o" people in the ingro$p than those in the o$tgro$p, a belie" based onl' on gro$p

identit'. Also, a person tends to "eel that others in the ingro$p are similar to one:s sel" in wa's that*

altho$gh stereot'pical*ma' ha!e little to do with the original criteria $sed to split the gro$ps.

Someone with glasses ma' belie!e that other people who wear glasses are more !oracio$s readers

*e!en more intelligent*than those who don:t, in spite o" the "act that all he reall' knows is that the'

don:t see !er' well. 7n the other hand, people in the o$tgro$p are belie!ed to be less distinct andless comple than are cohorts in the ingro$p.

Altho$gh (a)"el and ($rner "o$nd that identit' and categorization were the root ca$se o" social bias,

other researchers ha!e tried to "ind e!ol$tionar' eplanations "or discrimination. A"ter all, in the

distant past, people who shared c$lt$ral similarities were "o$nd to be more geneticall' related than

those who did not. (here"ore, "a!oring the ingro$p was a wa' o" helping perpet$ate one:s genes.

4!ol$tionar' eplanations seem appealing, since the' rel' on the simplest biological $rges to dri!e

complicated beha!ior. B$t this "act also makes them hard to pro!e. &ronicall', there is ample

e!idence backing $p the %so"ter% science behind social identit' theor'.

Hidden Bias

6ot man' o" $s will admit to ha!ing strong racist or enophobic biases. 4!en in cases where bias

becomes p$blic debate*s$ch as the pro"iling o" Arab M$slims at airportsec$rit' screenings*

proponents o" pre)$dice claim that the' are merel' promoting common sense. (hat rel$ctance to

admit to bias makes the iss$e trick' to st$d'.

(o get aro$nd this problem, ps'chologists Anthon' /reenwald, o" the #ni!ersit' o" ashington in

Seattle, and Mahzarin Bana)i, o" Har!ard, de!eloped the &mplicit Association (est. (he &A( is a
http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/teamworkhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/teamworkhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/empathyhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/geneticshttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/teamworkhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/empathyhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/genetics


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simple test that meas$res reaction time9 (he s$b)ect sees !ario$s words or images pro)ected on a

screen, then classi"ies the images into one o" two gro$ps b' pressing b$ttons. (he words and

images need not be racial or ethnic in nat$re*one gro$p o" researchers tested attit$des toward

presidential candidates. (he string o" images is interspersed with words ha!ing either pleasant or

$npleasant connotations, then the participant m$st gro$p the words and images in !ario$s wa's*

emocrats are placed with $npleasant words, "or instance.

(he di""erences in reaction time are small b$t telling. Again and again, researchers "o$nd that

s$b)ects readil' tie ingro$p images with pleasant words and o$tgro$p images with $npleasant

words. 7ne st$d' compares s$ch gro$ps as whites and blacks,


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eda -osmides and


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AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Writer and mythologist Joseph Campbell once said, "We must be willing to get rid of the

life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." Let's face it, much of life

is spent waiting for the next good thing to happen or waiting for the current undesirable

situation to end. Humans enjoy having life, which is infinitely complex, put into little

organized boxes. It makes people feel more in control of things they have no control

of.

When interviewing for a new job, the infamous, "What is your five year plan?" question

is always asked. Humans have an obsession with planning for the future, which in

reality, is subject to change at any moment. However, telling a potential employer,

"Well, given that any day could be my last day, I'm not really sure..." may not be the

best way to land that new career. Nonetheless, Campbell was wise in saying that

humans need to stop trying to plan life. What an individual may deem a necessity may

not be realistic or even play into their personal strengths and passions.

One of most freeing aspects of spirituality is its limitless interpretations. Every person

has a different understanding of spirituality and how it plays a part in their daily lives.

Instead of waiting for life's meaning to knock on the front door, it is much more

rewarding to be able to analyze the possibilities and ultimately get closer to personal

fulfillment. The challenge now is to convert the endless possibilities to everyday life. As

humans, every individual can afford to work on the subconscious instinct to plan in order

to demonstrate command of life. Taking action today is far more powerful than existing

merely for the what-ifs of tomorrow.


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http://www.examiner.com/article/the-human-reaction-to-the-unknown-planning

"Fear of the unknown is a natural human reaction"

On 4 September, the Legal Affairs Unit of the Finnish Ministry of the nterior hel! an international

workshop in elsinki aime! at !iscussing what the concept of goo! relations between !ifferent

communities means in the Finnish, Swe!ish an! #uropean conte$ts% &he workshop, organise! by the

Ministry's Good Relations project, also initiate! !iscussion on how to establish in!icators for measuring

the state of goo! relations%
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-human-reaction-to-the-unknown-planninghttp://www.examiner.com/article/the-human-reaction-to-the-unknown-planning


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Goal: reasonably good society

Pasi Saukkonen(octor of Social Science Pasi Saukkonen, Senior )esearcher from the Foun!ation for

*ultural +olicy )esearch *upore, gae the keynote speech% e talke! about the concepts of goo!

relations an! $enophobia, an! the promotion an! measurement of goo! relations%

"#thnic relations are relationships between people, an! relationships between people are often -uite

poor% So, in pursuing better ethnic relations, we shoul! treat them as 'normal' relationships%"

Accor!ing to Saukkonen, fear of the unknown is a ery natural human reaction, but what people

consi!er strange or foreign is ery much culture an! time.specific%

"Our history is reflecte! in our attitu!es% t is an entirely !ifferent matter to be a )ussian in Finlan!

than Swe!en, for e$ample% &he promotion of goo! ethnic relations re-uires a change of culture, which

takes a long time an! is boun! to cause resistance% /e are often too impatient an! e$pect to see

results straight away%"

Saukkonen emphasise! that we shoul! not set too ambitious targets for the promotion of goo!

relations% "*onflicts between people are ineitable% 0ut what really matters is how to settle them an!

preent them from becoming structural% nstea! of pursuing a para!ise with perfect relations, we'! be

better off trying to achiee a reasonably goo! society an! tolerable relations%"

Combating racism takes time

Alongsi!e its Finnish collaborators, the Ministry of the nterior has two international partners in the

1oo! )elations pro2ect3 the Swe!ish Ministry of #mployment an! the orthern relan! *ouncil for

#thnic Minorities 5*#M6% Christer Mattsson, from the municipality of 7ung8l, presente! an


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e$ample of local action to combat racism in Swe!en% A teacher, he is (irector of Social /elfare

Serices an! has seeral years of e$perience in working with ra!icalise! young people%

"ntolerance an! $enophobia are the most significant barriers to the co.e$istence of ethnic groups",

Mattsson sai!% &he municipality of 7ung8l truly woke up to the horrors of e$tremism in 9::; whenneo.a=9=% &hese !omains are attitu!es, personal security, interaction

with others, an! participation an! influence% &he purpose is to establish in!icators for each, together

with concrete tools for measuring progress at local leel%

&he results will be publishe! in the form of a goo! relations framework !ocument an! a set of

in!icators% n a!!ition, the pro2ect will also pro!uce a practical gui!e for local.leel actors, proi!ing a


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range of tools for promoting goo! relations% 0oth the framework !ocument an! the gui!e will be

release! at a final conference in September >=94%

http://www.intermin.fi/en/current_issues/news/1/1/fear_of_the_unknown_is_a_natural_human_r

eaction

4!er' alligator o!er "i!e "eet long sho$ld be shotC (his statement has been repeated b' a n$mber o" +lorida residents

and go!ernment o""icials. (he' "eel this action wo$ld lessen the threat o" people being attacked b' alligators within

the state. A concerned +lorida resident contacted me with this in"ormation and m' response was, %How common are

alligator attacks in +lorida8 M' research concl$ded that an a!erage o" 15 to 20 non"atal attacks take place per 'ear.

7nl' 15 to 20 people@ what is the big deal8 (hat is ro$ghl' a one in a million chance o" attack. 4!er'da' Americans

certainl' take greater risks with "ar worse odds. So wh' do so man' people become h'sterical when "aced with s$ch

a threat8 &t is the instinct$al h$man response called "ear o" the $nknown. +ear o" the $nknown is a commanding "orce

that we all possess. &t has reached o$t and cl$tched its bon' "ingers aro$nd the throats o" man' people, c$lt$res, and

species, $ltimatel' choking the li"e "rom them all. &t magni"ies o$r mind:s sense o" paranoia, then shrinks o$r

con"idence and blinds all rational tho$ght. &t con!inces o$r mind that the $nreasonable is reasonable.

+or eample, between 1=>D and 1=== there ha!e been approimatel' 2>D con"irmed alligator attacks on h$mans in

the State o" +lorida. 7nl' nine incidents were "atal, that is nine too man' as "ar as the !ictims: "amilies are concerned.

B$t in 1==D alone, =E3 m$rders, 3,>0> rapes, =5,>>3 assa$lts, and DD3,103 robberies took place within the S$nshine

State. H$mans carried o$t e!er' single one o" those crimes and 'et we nat$rall' distr$st the alligator more then o$r

"ellow h$mans.

Sharks "all within the same $ndesirable social class as alligators. #n"ort$natel', this became more prominent a"ter

the 1=35 mo!ie release o"


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B$t to top it all, in 1==E, >F,ED3 Americans were in)$red b' their toiletsC & do not know how, & do not want to know how,

altho$gh mal"$nctions in water press$re ha!e ca$sed certain t'pes o" toilets to eplode, h$rling ceramic shrapnel at

an'one in the bathroom. ;et & ha!e witnessed no toilet shooting sprees, nor societ' r$nning back to the old reliable

o$tho$se.

H$mans "ear machines less than animals beca$se we ha!e coeisted with machines "or onl' se!eral h$ndred 'ears.

&t is not nearl' eno$gh time to instill a "ear o" them within o$r s$bconscio$s. +or o!er three million 'ears h$mans ha!e

been in direct contact with animals. At one point in time or another, we ha!e either competed with them "or "ood and

li!ing space or we ha!e been considered b' them as ob)ects o" pre'.

4!en the most compassionate indi!id$al carries the "ear o" the $nknown in their ancestral baggage. B$t gi!e one the

opport$nit' to be eposed to wild animals, the gates o" $nderstanding will swing open and the creat$re:s !ital place

within nat$re can be seen and appreciated. B$t i" time persists as it has and the technological age "orces societ':s

workplace to contin$e replacing h$man so$ls with %silicon so$ls% direct competition with machines is imminent.

H$mans are the most $npredictable creat$res on earth. ;et we tolerate o$r "a$lts beca$se the' eist within o$r own

kind. B$t let an o$tsider, like an alligator, attempt the same deed and it better beware. (he sit$ation is !er' political in

a wa'.

6othing pro!ed to be more tr$e than when & was asked to gi!e a speech at (he American M$se$m o" 6at$ral Histor'

in 6ew ;ork -it'. &n order to bring m' animals to the m$se$m, & had to obtain a permit "rom a di!ision o" the 6ew

;ork -it' Board o" Health, cle!erl' nicknamed the %atbite epartment%. hile & was in the process o" "iling "or the

permit, & became intrig$ed with 6ew ;ork -it':s rat sit$ation.

& learned that the pop$lation o" rats in 6ew ;ork -it' is greater than the pop$lation o" people, the rats )$st hide better.

& also learned that there are ro$ghl' 150 reports a 'ear "iled in!ol!ing rat bites. (he n$mber o" reports "iled where

h$mans bit other h$mans, is o!er 1,000 per 'ear. &t is estimated that e!er' 'ear 6ew ;orkers bite ten times more

people than the rats do, 'et we are still more a"raid o" the rats.

B$t "ear o" the $nknown has its p$rpose. &t makes $s ca$tio$s in $npredictable sit$ations and stri!es to keep $s

intact. (he ke' is not to emplo' it as a weapon, b$t as a shield.

$st' 1DE1E
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why we fear the unknown

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