Distrust of strangers is one of the behavioral universals [Brown, 1991; Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1989]. A negative reaction (fear) towards a stranger appears in children at the age of 5-6 months and is described in many cultures. Ethologists believe that it serves as a protective mechanism that limits the excessive curiosity of the child, contributing to the strengthening of ties with the mother and other close relatives. Although the pronounced fear of strangers gradually disappears as they grow older, it has been noticed that adults also often try to avoid contact with strangers, feel discomfort from communicating with strangers who are very different in their external data and behavioral characteristics [Atzwanger et al, 1]. If we are talking about representatives of other ethnic groups, then such behavior is usually called xenophobia. Distrust of strangers seems to be a phylogenetic adaptation that ensures the safety and integrity of the group. Avoidance of strangers and a wary attitude towards them is typical not only for humans, but also for other animals. Similar behavior has been described in chimpanzees, gorillas, baboons, and macaques (Goodall, 1998). In some cases, in relation to other groups of chimpanzees, they even show open hostility and aggressive actions.
The presence of this model of behavior in humans is not surprising if we consider it from an evolutionary standpoint. For most of his evolution, man existed in the conditions of small collectives, where everyone knew each other well, and many were relatives. He trusted those around him and felt safe in familiar surroundings. In modern society, people continue to give preference to relatives and friends, trust them more than strangers, and from these positions, the reaction to a stranger is quite understandable. Thus, the fear of a stranger in adults is a generalized derivative of childhood shyness and suspicion, on the other hand, nepotism, the desire to be in the company of relatives and acquaintances. The subconscious fear of strangers can play an important role in the formation of xenophobia and ethnocentrism. However, it is important to understand that this biopsychological component is not decisive and sufficient. The environment plays a leading role in the formation of pronounced xenophobia. As Flohr (994) has shown, distrust of outsiders is transformed into xenophobia and ethnocentrism by a wide range of historical, ecological, or socioeconomic conditions. By saying that a person is predisposed to avoiding contact with strangers, ethologists do not at all mean that such behavior is inevitable. Knowledge of the presence of a real biopsychological basis for distrust of strangers does not give grounds to consider this behavior as rigidly determined and inevitable. Adequate use of ethological information makes it possible to correct and smooth out negative behavioral reactions through purposeful education [Atzwanger es al, 1].
The most important discovery of ethology was the idea of the ambivalence of behavior (the alternating manifestation of two diametrically opposed motivations). For example, attack responses in many species alternate between flight and fear displays. The behavior of a child and an adult in the direction of a stranger is characterized by pronounced ambivalence. A stranger causes mixed feelings: fear and curiosity, a desire to approach and establish contact. Not only hostility towards a stranger, but also an orientation towards acquaintance, the formation of friendly contacts is part of our general human behavior, inherited in the process of evolution. Other cultures, other countries attract and beckon us, it is no coincidence that tourism is a thriving industry. Curiosity and the desire to communicate with neighbors is widespread in traditional cultures. The presence of rituals of welcoming guests, with their pronounced ambivalence of friendly disposition and demonstration of military force, testifies to the ancient roots of intergroup ambivalence. Along with the threat, contacts with strangers undoubtedly carried an adaptive component as well, since they made it possible to obtain new information and expand their technical and economic horizons.