This article presents the most important manifestations of negative stereotyping, that is, the dehumanization of enemies. Many cognitive and linguistic characteristics of this phenomenon are usually elusive to the participants of social life, so underlying psychological mechanisms are identified too late. This makes it extremely difficult to effectively eliminate them. The aim of the article is, firstly, to present key (empirically verified) cognitive and linguistic strategies responsible for stereotypization of social subjects. Secondly, the explication of the fact that the subtle form of dehumanization, which is negative stereotyping, contains sufficient and very strong grounds for carrying out acts of explicit discrimination, and in some circumstances, even extermination.
Dehumanization represents one of the most distinctive and negative consequences which may be accompanied by totalitarian ideology or authoritarian governments. It usually means all activities are aimed at the humiliation and inhuman treatment of an enemy. Dehumanization manifests itself especially in conditions of political and ideological conflict but does not always take such a drastic form. The purpose of this article is an attempt to present the phenomenon of dehumanization as a problem deeply rooted in the structures of human thinking. From the psychological perspective of social cognition it seems to be a phenomenon commonly occurring in group relations and relations which are not necessarily marked by struggle or conflict. Orientation in the social world requires the use of specific human cognitive heuristics which may result in being perceived as dehumanizing. A characteristic of such a perception is, among other things, negation or removing social attributes from a group’s representatives which are considered to be typically human. One of the main postulates of this article is the assertion that dehumanization, as it is understood, is largely a problem of a psychological nature which is very difficult to eliminate because of how it has been ingrained for so long in the cognitive orientation processes in the world. Although in the light of current psychological knowledge the total elimination of dehumanization seems rather impossible, it can be quite effectively limited through interactions at the political and social-cultural level.
This article presents an analysis of intergroup relations in light of Władysław Witwicki’s cratism theory. His theory allows social relations to be explained in light of the pursuit for a sense of power, although this has never been verified in the psychological laboratory. Because the cratism theory is largely based on the analysis of social relations described in historical documents, this paper presents an attempt to use its basic assumptions to describe the linguistic behavior (and linguistic picture of the world) of a threatened group. The examined material consisted of religious documents of the first Christians, created before and during the growing conflict with an unfriendly/ antagonistic environment. Frequency analysis shows significant changes in the cratic orientation as well as emotions and the evaluation of the social world in conflict conditions.
The article presents the most important trends and achievements of the psychological interpretation of the biblical text in recent years. The main goal, however, is to propose going beyond the quite controversial – though interesting – research from the perspective of depth psychology (Tiefenpsychologie), which completely dominated psychological biblical criticism in the 20th century. Therefore I`ll focus on well verified psychological theories (especially social psychology and social cognition) which are widely recognized among psychologists, and which seem to significantly enrich the conceptual apparatus of the contemporary biblical scholar and allow for a better understanding of the social milieu in biblical books. Psychological biblical criticism can be very valuable and useful method in contemporary exegesis, but it have to overcome the limitations of depth psychology.
PL
Artykuł prezentuje najważniejsze trendy i osiągnięcia dynamicznie rozwijającej się w ostatnich latach psychologicznej interpretacji tekstu biblijnego. Głównym celem jest jednak propozycja wyjścia poza kontrowersyjny, choć niezwykle ciekawy, nurt badań z perspektywy psychologii głębi, który całkowicie zdominował psychological biblical criticism w XX w. Punkt ciężkości pada więc na dobrze zweryfikowane teorie psychologiczne (szczególnie psychologii społecznej i poznania społecznego), które cieszą się powszechnym uznaniem wśród psychologów, a które wydają się istotnie wzbogacać warsztat pojęciowy współczesnego biblisty i pozwalają lepiej zrozumieć specyfikę świata społecznego autorów ksiąg biblijnych. Psychological biblical criticism może stanowić wartościową i użyteczną metodę we współczesnej biblistyce, musi jednak wyjść poza ograniczenia wynikające z zastosowania samej psychologii głębi.
At the end of the 19th century, two monographs on empirical psychology were published: W. Wundt’s Grundzüge der physiologischen Psychologie and F. Brentano’s Psychologie vom empirischen Standpunkt. They set different research standards, indicating a differently defined subject as well as the methodology of the new science. The psychology of the 20th and 21st centuries focused mainly on Wundt’s program, while Brentano’s program was included in philosophical analyses. However, this led to significant changes in psychology, which today can be seen as deep reductionism, narrowing the subject matter, and difficulties in constructing theories. In the article, I suggest that it might be helpful to recall the basic assumptions of Brentano’s psychology and the schools derived from it, such as e.g. the Lvov‑Warsaw School. Therefore, the article aims to indicate the theoretical space that has been emerging for some time, in which the school of Kazimierz Twardowski could present original philosophical and psychological achievements.