SELF-CRITICISM AND RECONCILIATION

With reference to empirical socio-psychological studies conducted by the author himself (on prejudices in connection with AIDS, inquiries into attitudes displayed by German and Russian students) and the results of opinion polls on xenophobia, racism and nationalism, the author demonstrates that reconciliation with oneself and others is proportional to the propensity for self-criticism and the ability to recognize and acknowledge personal guilt. Where, by contrast, self-hatred and self-devaluation prevail, the tendency towards projection and hatred of others will also be dominant.