Why do we not like to meet compatriots abroad?

Ekaterina Dubovskaya, social psychologist.

“Meeting with fellow countrymen reminds me of the imminent return home”

Compatriots abroad remind us of the life from which we left (albeit for a couple of weeks) and which for some reason does not quite suit us. On vacation in other countries, we join a different (better) life, inaccessible to us at home. We enjoy its style and quality, enjoy the friendliness of strangers, cleanliness, calm atmosphere. And the sound of Russian speech reminds us that all this will soon come to an end.”

Alexander Asmolov, psychologist.

“We strive to preserve the common humanity”

The media (and above all television), politicians impose on us the idea of ​​​​our (Russian) greatness and “specialness”. However, when we come to other countries, we have an internal conflict between a sense of our own exclusivity and a universal human identity. This is what breaks through to the surface and gives rise to our negative identification – “we are not Russians.”

Behind this feeling is our need to feel like just a person worthy of respect, a calm and stable life.

Ekaterina Zhornyak, psychotherapist.

“We feel a controlling and evaluating gaze on us”

Philosopher Michel Foucault formulated the concept of “gaze” (gaze). This is the social system of supervision and control of all over all that exists in any society. It is this look that teaches us to see ourselves through the eyes of others: not always attractive, sometimes lazy or not responsible enough … In Russia, this look is very attentive, strict and oppressive, but abroad it is not for us – we feel more secure. Perhaps we are nervous when we hear our native speech while traveling, as we realize that we have again come under the scrutiny of the domestic “gaze”.