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The attacks in Belgium aroused in some not natural sympathy, but a desire to point out to Europe its harmful multiculturalism and carelessness. Where does this craving for grades come from?
Because we have a strong tradition of collectivism
“The more a society is inclined towards collectivism, the more it depends on generally accepted assessments,” notes psychologist Margarita Zhamkochyan. Russians are still tied to collective opinions and judgments. Psychologically, the period of comparative assessments corresponds to the age of 10–12 years, when the child is very dependent on the opinions of others. With the growth of the level of education and culture, we gradually get rid of the habit of judging everyone and everything around, or remain at the mercy of assessments shared by the majority. “It is not easy to develop a personal position. It is easier to join someone else’s opinion, says the psychologist. “But this is a simplification, and by agreeing to it, we inevitably slide into anti-culture.”
Because assessment is a learning tool
Judgment is one of the simplest cognitive mechanisms. When making a judgment, we compare a person with ourselves or other people who serve as standards for us. And an object or phenomenon — with some existing samples. Value judgments are like robots, explains social psychologist Galina Soldatova: “They perform the primary sorting of information entering the mind: this is good, then bad.”
Because it seems important to us to express our attitude
However, it is not necessary to express your attitude at all. “Any assessment is an interpretation, and an interpretation is a lie; by definition, it is not equal to an object,” Margarita Zhamkochyan is sure. — As soon as an assessment of the interlocutor arises in a conversation, it becomes meaningless. We need to learn how to change judgments, restructure them so that evaluation — no matter good or bad — does not arise. Even if a child shows you a drawing, it is better not to praise or criticize it, but to tell what you see on it, what feelings it evokes in you.
Because by judging the other, we can control them.
“Evaluation is also an instrument of power, control,” recalls Margarita Zhamkochyan. “For this reason, for example, schools cannot refuse grades in any way.” Speaking more broadly, the words “judgment” and “judgment” are certainly related. And behind our desire to judge is also the desire to feel our power and superiority. “However, if instead of ascertaining dissimilarity, we belittle the personality of the other,” warns psychoanalyst Norbert Chatillon, “then we pervert evaluation as an important function of our psyche.”