«Let your soul go to hell — you will be rich.» “From the works of the righteous one cannot make stone chambers” … There are many proverbs that reflect the unfriendly and suspicious attitude of our compatriots towards wealth and the rich. However, in other cultures, such statements are not uncommon. But proverbs, as you know, are created by the people, that is, the poor majority. Isn’t it jealousy?
“Of course, if in Russia 1% of the population owns 75% of the wealth, then there are reasons for envy,” agrees Jungian analyst Lev Khegai. — The destructive part of this feeling is the desire to denigrate the one you envy. 100 years ago, such black envy gave birth to a revolution.
The success of another makes the envious person feel his own worthlessness, social unfulfillment. And no stable expressions or revolutions can cure him of this.
“We use stereotypes when we perceive others not as individuals, but as members of a certain community, group,” explains social psychologist Olga Gulevich. “Moreover, we often have a more positive idea of our own group than of someone else’s, in which we are more likely to notice negative features. This phenomenon is called the social comparison strategy.
Such a comparison in their favor allows you to maintain social identity and high self-esteem. “Yes, we are poor, but honest” is the position of one group. “If you are smart, then why are you poor?” the point of view of the other group.
Any stereotype is a stencil that we impose on reality. It makes the world understandable and predictable
In countries with a Protestant work ethic (such as the US or Germany), success in business is seen as evidence of a duty to God. In our country, wealth has never been considered an unequivocal dignity. And when in the 90s of the last century large fortunes began to appear in Russia, this violated the norm of equality approved in society, which caused discontent.
But Lev Khegay does not consider the value of equality a feature of our culture. “It is installed in all human-made civilizations,” insists the psychologist. It is not wealth itself that causes protest, but the fact that the rich often put themselves above others and refuse an equivalent exchange in which the value of the goods given is equal to the value of the goods received. This refusal to “share” threatens to upset the existing balance and is experienced by society as a danger. Hence the accusations of corruption and dishonesty.”
Should we fight this stereotype? “Any stereotype is a stencil that we impose on reality,” explains Olga Gulevich. “He makes the world understandable and predictable.” But it also leads to inaccurate assessments when it comes not to a group, but to individuals.
The ability to see individual differences and recognize the right of others (and one’s own) to be ambiguous is a property of a reasonable and internally free person.