Xenophobia

Prejudice is one on the most common forms of conscious injury perpetuated by humans on one another. Ethnicities and cultures of mass proportions all have their own interpretation of prejudice, although the general consensus is that all people have their own prejudices. People are composed of essential characteristics that are unique to their own ethnic groups. People do not all share the same belief system, skin color, or history, and traditions. Whether one is the object or subject of prejudice, the challenge lies in having mutual respect and tolerance for those who are different from oneself. The xenophobia phenomenon is one form of prejudice, the term derived from the Greek word xenos, which means “stranger” or “foreigner,” and phobos, which means “fear.” The concept of xenophobia can be traced back to historical, evolutionary sources. Its manifestations are distinctly rooted in the impression that individuals have a thoughtless discomfort with strangers. It is based on the idea that the target of prejudice is directed toward people who are different from oneself. The term xenophobia is typically used to describe the irrational fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners. One's attitude toward different ethnicities and the intent to carry out acts of xenophobia classifiy one as a xenophobe.

Xenophobia tends to have two main objectives. The first objective, based on phobia, is to exclude or maltreat a group that is not considered part of a specific society. Those who are considered nonmembers of the society are often deemed as immigrants, and xenophobia is regularly directed toward them and in some cases toward a population of people that has existed in the country for centuries (i.e., Native Americans or First Nations people in the United States). This form of xenophobia can manifest into outright violence and hostility or, in extreme cases, genocide. Acts of genocide are committed with the intent of mass expulsion of a population of sorts. The second objective relates to the purification of a culture or language. This manifestation of xenophobia is primarily cultural; hence, the targets of the phobia tend to be toward aliens. Aliens are individuals who reside in a country other than their birthplace without obtaining citizenship. In essence, all cultural groups have the potential of being subjected to cultural xenophobia, which is narrowly directed. For example, many countries are exhausting their efforts and resources to try to implement English as an official language. Xenophobia can take on various forms; one can be socially xenophobic referring to a fear or hatred toward a particular social group. One can also be xenophobic toward cultures and belief systems—all of which can potentially manifest into acts of violence, hate crime, race wars, religious prosecution, and ethnic cleansing, to name a few.

Externalization of xenophobia can be demonstrated in two forms: projection identification and projective identification. One is classified as a fearful type, and the other is a hate-filled type. Projection identification often precedes projective identification in that projections flood individuals’ conscious in a given experience. Projection is [Page 902]prevalent in various forms, and many of our projections shape many of our actions and feelings. For example, many high schools seniors will project their fear of going to college so they don't necessarily need to experience this fear. By displacing or projecting this fear, they are released from admitting to themselves that they have this fear and its accompanying feelings. Projection (identification) is one of the first defense mechanisms developed early on in childhood.

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