What effect does nationalist sentiment have on society?

Nationalist sentiment can act as a kind of virus: once it enters the brain, it shapes the worldview and distorts it, feeding the person’s impulsivity and cognitive biases. The mental focus narrows to the point of assuming that the nation itself is superior, due to its history, culture and everything related to it.

Although not all nationalisms lead to extremism and that inherent violence that we know, the way in which they manifest themselves is always striking from a socio-psychological point of view. This passion and patriotic spirit translates into group behaviors, intense emotions and unconscious attachments. which we will analyze below.

Many times, nationalist sentiment is expressed through a form of group narcissism.

How is nationalist sentiment expressed?

Almost all of us identify with our countries or regions of origin. We are moved by its history, making us feel part of a very diverse and, to a large extent, intangible entity.. However, we do not always draw an imaginary and dividing line following the heel of our compatriots or the end of the territory in which we were born or adopted from a very young age.

However, There are those who show a marked nationalist feeling, that is, an intense feeling of belonging to a country and its particular reality.. That psychological current in which they are tied manifests itself behaviorally and attitudinally in multiple ways. All of them have, in turn, a notable impact on the community and the society that contains them. Let’s delve into them.

1. Loyalty and devotion to the nation

Nationalism feeds off the ingroup, the feeling of belonging that derives from it and, in that context, loyalty is nuclear.. It is common to see them defend their members, regardless of what they express or what they do. The defense of the group or “we” is a fundamental pillar.

Likewise, the members of that town or nation who profess the same ideals and patriotism are faithful to the stipulated dogmas and beliefs. Absolute devotion to history, their culture or language ignites a series of deep emotions in them.

2. Irrational passions

People who lack a strong nationalist feeling are often surprised to see those who do show it. Some aspects that they frequently manifest are acts, celebrations and even behaviors motivated by almost irrational passions. In fact, It is not strange that they carry out self-sacrifice, such as breaking the laws for the supposed good of their beliefs and their nation.

3. Identity of the “I” compared to “others”

One of the most recurrent psychosociological factors among those who harbor a strong sense of nationalism is the separation between the “I” and the “others.” An identity develops that perceives other peoples, cultures and nations as “different” and even “inferior.”

Another common phenomenon is the concept of the “I” diluted with the ingroup, to the point of constructing completely fictitious realities. For example, exalt that they are a people always attacked and subjected by others and that, in view of their identity characteristics, they deserve self-determination.

4. Biases and prejudices

Social learning and the role of the environment often mediate the development of a clearly nationalistic mental and emotional approach. So, It is very common that numerous cognitive biases instilled by the environment are present in these minds.. Next, we will see some examples of them, common in the speeches of every nationalist:

Ingroup favoritism: Those who think like me are better than others.Polarized thinking: Things are good or bad, you are with me or against me.Confirmation bias: Only what fits with what one believes is validated or remembered.Naive realism: assuming that what one believes is true and that others reason naively.

5. Inflexible cognitive styles

Nationalist sentiment and the way in which its cognitive bases are orchestrated aroused the interest of many researchers. Proof of this is that New York University analyzed nationalist ideology during the Brexit.

Something that the study noticed is how Nationalist sentiment is accompanied by rigid thinking. Information is not processed reflexively, but categorically and clearly inflexible, rejecting anything that does not conform to one’s beliefs.

6. Strong attachments

There is another aspect linked to that patriotism or nationalist passion. We frequently see people who show strong attachments to the symbols, to the history, to the culture of a country. These behaviors often tend to be expressed with violence, discriminating against the tastes or practices of others who do not feel the concept of nation in the same way.

7. Collective narcissism

This information is interesting. Nationalist feelings are often evidenced by narcissistic behavior. However, it is a kind of collective narcissism, that is, The ingroup moves and acts through arrogant, selfish and manipulative behaviors.

The University of Minnesota investigated this phenomenon, to justify why we observe nationalist groups exacerbating their superiority as a people; even justifying the need to dominate other nations. Something problematic, no doubt.

Extreme nationalism can lead to street brawls or, in more problematic cases, coups d’état.

Types of nationalism and social implications

Many times, we perceive nationalism as a little or not at all evolved attitude. There are precedents that support this view; Misunderstood love for one’s country has been the spark that ignited unfortunate revolutions with catastrophic consequences, such as Nazism.

But We also find historical precedents in which nationalism produced social cohesion translated into progress. Which ones can we identify? Next, let’s examine.

Civic nationalism

Australia, New Zealand or Canada promote a form of civic and reflexive nationalism; a critical context where they integrate the diverse cultures of their territories, without discriminating against other societies. They are countries that, while promoting unity and independence, seek to include the different cultures that make them up.

In these cases, we speak of a feeling of cohesion that makes a society aware of the strength it has if it pursues some objectives together.

This will becomes a virtue when, in a great exercise of skill, it moves away from discrimination of ideas or people. We are not talking about perfect societies, but we are talking about nuclei that support the idea that a human and humanitarian sense is possible in nationalism.

extreme nationalism

The nationalist sentiment that comes to control the will in scenarios of bipolarity, crisis and fragmentation. We see it on the political board of many countries today. The effects it has on our reality are immense and, although we do not always notice them immediately, it leaves fractures that will gradually become more evident. These are the consequences of extreme nationalism:

Racism appears and hatred of those who are different. It promotes the fracture of the population to incite riots and chaos.Extremist behavior appears (violence in the streets and in sports, for example). The aim is to preserve the national culture and this means vetoing other social and cultural groups.An extreme nationalist will lie and distort reality to give an image of superiority. A government dominated by nationalist ideals and passions can justify its aggression towards other countries.Extreme nationalists will break laws because they feel entitled to do so. To carry it out, they will use fallacious reasoning.

Nationalist sentiment and its positive side

As Mark Twain said, «nationalist sentiment can make a person reckless and injudicious. He will become someone who shouts as much as possible without knowing what he shouts about ». There is a lot of truth in these words and it never hurts to look up from our daily lives, to reflect on how different nationalisms make the world tremble.

Nationalism can have its positive side, encouraging us to recognize ourselves or feel part of a territory and its people.. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as we do not forget that we live on an extraordinarily heterogeneous planet in which, fortunately, natural and social wealth is distributed.

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