民族主义心理剖析

If the 20th century has just one lesson to teach, it must surely be the power and danger of nationalism. Time and again, liberals, socialists and internationalists are caught off-guard by its power and irrational intensity. In 1941, George Orwell wrote of nationalism: “as a positive force there is nothing to set beside it. Christianity and international socialism are as weak as straw in comparison with it.” Nationalism is not just a subject for historians and politicians but for anyone interested in human psychology.

如果20世纪只让我们明白了一个道理，那肯定是民族主义的力量与危险。一次又一次，自由主义流派、社会主义流派和国际主义流派被民族主义的力量与荒诞的强烈程度让他们始料不及。1941年，乔治·奥威尔这样描写民族主义：“作为一种正向力量，没有什么能与之匹敌。基督教与国际社会主义与之相比，软弱如稻草。”民族主义不仅仅只是历史学家与政客们的研究主题，同时也吸引着任何对人类心理学感兴趣之人。

The Nature of Nationalism 民族主义的本质

It may help to begin by contrasting nationalism with patriotism. Obviously, these words mean different things to different people, but in general “patriotism” has positive connotations, while “nationalism” has mostly bad ones. A patriot feels affection towards the nation in which he was born or has adopted. But this affection is gentle, sensible, and realistic. The patriot keeps his emotions in check and does not allow them to tip over into fantasy or blind obedience.

让我们先来对比一下民族主义和爱国主义。很明显，不同的人对这两个词有不同解读，但整体而言，爱国主义有着褒义含义，而民族主义主要是贬义。爱国者对自己出生和成长于的国家充满热爱，但这种热爱是温柔的、理智的、切合实际的。爱国者能够将自己情绪克制在理智范围内，不允许它们助长幻想空想或者盲目服从。

The patriotic also celebrate what is best about their country: the humor, the food, the literature, the art etc. But these things are positive and open to all – they enrich the world. So, for example, when a patriotic Frenchman says, “I love my country for coming up with the phrase ‘liberte, egalite, fraternite,’ ” he does so because he believes that such ideals may inspire others. And the national heroes patriots admire tend to be great humanitarians and poets rather than generals or war leaders. Patriots will also acknowledge that every group has its strengths and weaknesses, and that every group has something to offer.

爱国者同时会赞美自己国家的领先之处：幽默感、食物、文化、艺术等。但这些都是正面事物，对所有人都是开放的——它们丰富了整个世界。所以，当一位法国爱国者说，“我爱我的国家，因为她提出了自由、民主、平等的口号”时，他之所以如此说，是因为他相信这种理想可能会激励其他人。而且爱国者所崇敬的国家英雄也往往是伟大的人文主义者和诗人，而非将军或战争领袖。爱国者通常认可每个群体都有着自己的长处和弱点，每个群体都有可圈可点之处。

The word “nationalism,” however, suggests excessive emotions, ones out of proportion to the facts. It also suggests aggression: the need to assert, bully, and dominate. Sometimes, nationalism can be combined with racism. The most obvious example would be Nazi Germany, where national pride rested on the idea of a Nordic or North European master race. But the Nazis were not alone in this. In the 1930s, many Japanese believed in the superiority of their race. There was even a racist edge to early Irish nationalism, with some arguing that the Irish Celts were more sensitive, spiritual, and imaginative than the shallow, materialistic Anglo-Saxons (the Irish writer James Joyce, for example, ridicules such ideas in his novel Ulysses).

但民族主义却暗示着过度的情感，完全超出事实的情感。它同时也暗示着攻击性：需要宣示自身力量、需要占据霸凌和主导地位。有时，民族主义可以与种族主义一起被应用。最明显的例子就是纳粹德国，其国家自豪感基于北欧优越种族这一理念之上。但纳粹并非其中唯一的例子。上世纪30年代，很多日本人相信自己种族的优越性；在早期爱尔兰民族主义中，也有一些种族主义的影子，一些人辩称爱尔兰凯尔特人比肤浅、物质主义的盎格鲁撒克逊人更敏感、精神境界更高、更具有想象力（爱尔兰作家 James Joyce在其小说《尤利西斯》中嘲笑了这类观点）。

Nationalism can also be purely negative, fuelled by contempt for another country rather than by a love for one’s own. In other words, someone may be indifferent to the nation they were born in but develop such a dislike for their neighbor that they celebrate and exaggerate any differences. This is especially common when that neighbor is bigger, richer or more popular. People often feel belittled by such success, taking it almost as a personal slight.

民族主义也可以是完全负面的，它源于对另一个国家的轻蔑，而非源于对自己国家的热爱。换言之，一些人可能对自己国家并不爱护，但对邻国却如此厌恶，以至于赞美和夸大任何的不同。当邻国更大、更富有、更受欢迎时，这种情绪就尤为普遍。邻国的这种成功让他们倍受打击倍感渺小，他们几乎将其视为了一种针对他们个人的人身贬低行为。

Escape and Self-Esteem 逃避与自尊感

So why do people become nationalists? First, and most obviously, nationalism offers an escape. Through taking on a larger identity the individual escapes his own. So, John may feel small, insignificant, and unpopular, but if his nation is rich and powerful, this will provide the self-respect he’s never known.

那么为什么有人会变成民族主义者呢？首先，而且最明显的原因是，民族主义提供了一处世外桃源。通过赋予自己一种更大的身份，个体逃离了自己的个人身份。因此，John可能感到自己渺小、无足轻重、不受欢迎，但如果自己的国家富饶且强大，这就会给他一种他从来不曾经历过的自我尊重感。

Of course, some people lack a sense of self altogether. The British psychiatrist R. D. Laing used the phrase “ontological insecurity” to describe this, by which he meant the feeling that your true, deep, inner self, who you really are, is unacceptable – or even unreal. In extreme cases this can lead to a schizophrenic breakdown. More generally, such people will attach themselves to stronger personalities. In relationships, for example, they often disappear into the other person, adopting their political views and artistic tastes and agreeing with any decision they make. For such people, the nation provides the stable identity they have always lacked.

当然，一些人完全缺乏自我感。英国精神分析学家 R. D. Laing采用了“本体不安全感”来描述这一现象，即，感到你内心深处的真正自我，即，真实的你自己，不可接受，甚至不真实。在极端案例中，这可能就会导致精神分裂式崩溃。而更普遍的做法，则是给自己赋予更强的人格。比如，在人际感情关系中，他们通常会让自己的人格消失，接纳其他人的政治观点、艺术品位、认同他们做出的任何决定。对这些人而言，国家民族，就提供了他们一直缺乏的那种稳定身份。

For others, nationalism gives a sense of meaning and purpose. Hitler is an obvious example of this. Like many nationalists, he was unhappy in his private life: poor, aimless, a failed artist. The famous photograph of him celebrating the outbreak of World War One shows the grinning face of a man whose life suddenly has direction.

对其他一些人而言，民族主义提供了一种意义感和目标感。希特勒是一个这方面的明显例子。像很多民族主义者一样，他对个人生活不满：贫穷、无目标、不得志的艺术家。关于他庆祝第一次世界大战爆发的著名照片就展示了一个突然找到人生方向之人的开怀笑容。

Such things explain the irrational emotions nationalism arouses and the frequently aggressive, even violent, reaction of those whose nation is criticized. Indeed, many react more aggressively when their nation is ridiculed than they do when they are ridiculed! And it is certainly true that many people take their nation more seriously than they take themselves. When one’s pride, self-respect, even sense of purpose, depends on the success or failure of this larger unit, it is hardly surprising.

这些原因就解释了民族主义激发的非理性情感，以及一些人在面对自己国家被批评时所做出的攻击性、甚至暴力反应。的确，很多人在自己国家被嘲笑时，会比自己受到嘲笑时做出更具有攻击性的反应。而且，很多人把国家看得比自己更重，这也是无可争议的事实。当一个人的自豪感、自我尊重感、甚至目标感都取决于这一更大集体的成败时，上述情形也就不足为奇了。

Obsession 偏执

Obsession is another common trait. Since a nationalist invests so much in his country’s success or failure, its triumphs and disasters will totally consume him. But the nationalist tends to link everything back to national identity. So, for example, he will not only claim that his nation’s army or economy is superior, but also that its literature, food, sport, climate, even landscape trumps everyone else’s.

偏执是另一种普遍特征。由于一位民族主义者如此看重国家成败，因此国家的成功和灾难会完全吞噬他。但民族主义者也常常将一切都与国家身份联系起来。因此，比如，他不仅坚称其国家的军队或经济是最优越的，同时其文化、食物、体育、气候，甚至景色也是无与伦比的。

The nationalist will also be highly sensitive about things that other people let slide, such as the proper display of flags. They will also be eager to correct mistakes whenever possible, to claim it was really their country that invented or discovered such and such a thing and that another stole the glory.

民族主义者同时也会对别人不在意的事情高度敏感，比如旗帜的正确摆放方式。他们同时也热衷于在任何可能情形下纠正他人错误，声明是他们的国家最早发明或发现了某样东西，另一个国家只不过偷走了这一荣耀而已。

And nationalists mistakenly assume other people share this obsession. They will thus be quick to take offence, to assume that every insult was deliberate. In fact, other people usually mispronounce the name of some historical figure, or overlook some historical fact, in pure innocence.

而且民族主义者会错误地假设别人都像他们一样如此偏执。因此他们会很容易觉得被冒犯，认为自己眼中的每一次侮辱都是别人故意为之。实际上，其他人通常是完全毫无恶意地说错某位历史人物的名字，或忘记某件历史事实。

Fantasy and Denial 幻想与否认

True nationalists dislike reality, preferring fantasy and denial instead. And such resistance can be astonishing to watch. This is especially true when it comes to the reputation of some great historical figure. Even the greatest had their faults, and yet when these are pointed out, the nationalist will dismiss such criticism as propaganda or outright lies. Of course, when similar accusations are levelled against the hero of a rival nation, they will be accepted, eagerly and without hesitation!

真正的民族主义者讨厌现实，更偏向于幻想和否认。而且这种对现实的抵抗往往令人震惊。当涉及到一些伟大历史人物的名誉时，这尤其明显。甚至最伟大的伟人也有自己的缺陷，但当有人指出这些缺陷时，民族主义者就会将这种批评视为政治宣传或赤裸裸的谎言。当然，当同样的指控落在敌对国家的某位英雄身上时，民族主义者们就会迫切、毫不犹豫地全盘认可！

Nationalists also spend a great deal of their time lost in the past, struggling to accept historic failures and humiliations. Instead, they will often try to personally re-write history. Since their nation is exceptional, such failures make no sense. And, since they make no sense, reasons the nationalist, they cannot have happened, at least not in the way most believe. Tell a nationalist that his country did something shameful in the past and he will probably reply that history is written by the winners, or that others are jealous. When he reads a newspaper or history book he will also practise selective attention, picking out the bits he likes and either ignoring, forgetting, or literally failing to see anything he dislikes.

民族主义者们通常也会花大量时间沉浸于过去，他们难以接受历史上的失败与羞辱，而是常常试图按个人想法改写历史。由于他们的国家是非同一般杰出的，这些失败就完全说不通。而且，这些民族主义者认为，因为这些失败根本说不通，所以它们就不可能真正发生过，至少事实不像大部分人所认为的那样。如果告诉一位民族主义者他的国家曾在历史上做过什么耻辱的事情，他大概率会回答说历史是由胜利者书写的，或者其他人只是嫉妒。当他看新闻，或读历史书时，他也会采取这种选择关注。只挑选他喜欢的部分，而对于不喜欢的部分，则要么是忽略、忘记，或完全看不到。

Inconsistency 不一致性

Tell a nationalist that the armed forces of his neighbor committed mass rape, or shot partisans, and he will believe you immediately. He will then tell you that this is only to be expected, since his neighbor is fundamentally barbaric and uncivilized. Unearth evidence that his own nation did precisely the same thing, however, and he will deny it. Show him photographs and he will dismiss them as forgeries. Give him overwhelming, irrefutable proof, and you will be astonished by the inconsistency. Well, what can you expect, he will say, men traumatized by war act in ways they never would at home. The rapes were part of a collective madness. As for shooting the partisans, it had to be done and was quite justifiable since only men in uniform are protected by the Geneva Convention.

如果告诉一位民族主义者邻国的军队犯下了群体强奸罪行或射杀了一些狂热分子，他会立即相信。之后他会告诉你这完全在意料之中，因为邻国从根本上就是野蛮的、未开化的。但如果挖掘出他自己的国家也做过同样事情的证据，他就会予以否认。给他看照片，他会直接说是伪造。给他看无法辩驳的证据，你会惊讶于他的双标。他很可能会说，受到战争创伤的人会做出非正常举动。这些强奸事件只不过是一种集体疯狂01状态的一种症状而已。而对于射杀狂热分子，这是必须之举，而且是完全有正当理由的，因为只有穿制服的人才受到日内瓦公约的保护。

01 Collective Madness

The concepts "collective madness" and "massive psychogenic disease" they are used to refer to unusual phenomena consisting of the propagation of disorders of psychological origin in multiple members of human communities.

集体疯狂或大规模心因性疾病，是指一种非正常现象，该现象包括：某种因心理因素导致的障碍在人类社群中多个成员之间传播。

Nationalists have also been known to swap their allegiance, transferring their delusions of perfection from one nation to another. Others will change their mind about their own. Many left-wingers in Britain and France, for example, who spent the 1930s criticising, even loathing, their own countries, switched to fervent nationalism when war began against Nazi Germany. And, as has often been noted, many of the most notorious nationalist leaders were not even born in the nation they led. Hitler, for example, was not a German but an Austrian while Stalin was a Georgian!

民族主义者还以轻易改旗换帜而著称。他们会轻易改变所效忠国家，将自己对完美的错觉从一个国家转移到另一个国家之上。其他一些民族主义者则会改变对自己国家的看法。比如，在英国和法国，很多左翼在20世纪30年代抨击甚至厌恶自己的国家，但在与纳粹德国的战争爆发后，他们都变成了狂热的民族主义者。而且，正如人们经常注意到的，很多臭名昭著的民族主义领袖甚至都并非出生于他们所领导的国家。比如，希特勒并非德国人，而是一位奥地利人，而斯大林则是格鲁吉亚人。

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with feeling an affection for one’s nation. And it would be absurd to liken such affection to mental illness. However, in the case of extreme nationalism, certain odd, even disturbing, psychological traits recur. And, given the appalling horror and destruction nationalism can unleash (especially in the age of nuclear weapons), such traits need to be understood.

很明显，对自己国家感到喜爱，这非常正常。如果将这种喜爱说成是一种精神疾病，无疑是很荒唐的。但在极端民族主义中，会重复出现一些奇怪的、甚至令人担忧的心理特征。而且，鉴于民族主义可能引发的惊世骇俗的暴行与破坏（尤其是在核武器时代），我们就需要去了解这些特征。