On Enemy Images and Conflict Resolution

In: International social science journal: ISSJ, Band 43, S. 57-76

Abstract

The perception of opponents as "enemies" can be detrimental to human relationships of all levels. In the perspective of evolutionary biology, enemy images are identified as residues of an archaic perception pattern that distinguishes only between data supporting survival & data endangering survival. The human capacity of perceiving in nuances is discussed in terms of brain, emotional, & social-cognitive development. Enemy images are described as the effects of a reversal process that under stress can gradually extinguish the results & capabilities of maturation & differentiation. The fully developed syndrome of the enemy image is characterized by distrust, placing the guilt on the enemy, negative anticipation, identification with the evil, zero-sum-thinking, deindividualization, & refusal of empathy. The function & impact of enemy images are examined, as well as the criteria that must be met to overcome them & to make constructive encounters possible. AA