FACES AND PLACES: Why can't they be like us? (08/31/03)

FACES AND PLACES

by Myron B. Kuropas

Why can't they be like us?

We've all wondered about our brothers and sisters in and from Ukraine. They're different. Different attitudes and values. Different mindset. Different behavior.

Not all of them, of course, but many, especially the older ones. They appear arrogant. Cynical. Somewhat morose with a penchant for dissimulation. When they come here, most want little to do with us or our community.

We're not alone in our assessment. Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, Arme-nians, even Jews in this country will tell you the same thing.

If the Soviets did little else well, they did manage, it seems, to successfully create a new human being, Homo Sovieticus, who in order to survive in Soviet society, would think one thing, say another, and do a third. Survival meant beating the system, not following the rules, na levo as it were. This was morally acceptable because the system itself was corrupt. For some, this attitude had carried over to the United States.

Few people worked hard in the Soviet Union because there was little incentive to do so. "We pretend to work, they pretend to pay us," was a common refrain. Alcoholism was rampant. One Soviet comic proclaimed: "Anyone who comes to work sober is a spy."

Given the many differences between "us" and "them," are we doomed to remain estranged? It's too early to tell but at least "we" can become more sensitive to "them" if we have a better understanding of how and why they became what they are.

Dr. Voldemars Gulens, a Latvian Canadian psychiatrist who has studied the Soviet personality and published his conclusions in an article titled "Distortions in Personality Development in Individuals Emerging From a Long-Term Totalitarian Regime" offers some clues. His study, which appeared in the fall 1995 issue of the Journal of Baltic Studies, begins with the premise that "in Soviet citizens we witness major distortions in psychological make-up brought about by their being born into, growing up in, and forming a family in a totalitarian society. The distortions involve the very core of the individual affecting not only his or her constant self-sentiment and attitude to life and to society, but also his or her orientation to change." Not surprisingly, these distortions seriously impair the ability of former Soviet citizens to respond constructively to the many economic, sociological and political changes in their new national order.

One of the more obvious characteristics of the post-Soviet individual seems to be deep depression, writes Dr. Gulens. "When questioned about their personal outlook on life, they reply with deep sighs, shrugs, and expressions of hopelessness and helplessness. The message is that of a bleak outlook on life and not being masters of their own fate." People who are chronically depressed find it difficult to respond to new information and demands for changes. Many who once believed that independence would bring a better life have become disillusioned. They are less likely to participate in the political process believing that no matter how they vote, the corrupt will always triumph. With little hope for the future, "priority is given to satisfaction of personal momentary needs, without considering one's own long-term goals, the feelings of others, or societal benefits."

Another striking feature of post-Soviet society "is the juxtaposition of profound distrust of, and anger at the authorities, with the contradictory feeling of dependence, and the belief that 'someone up there' ought to make the right decisions and set things right."

"Closely related to feelings of dependence is the lack of individual autonomy. Soviet citizens were used to expecting directives from authorities. Thus they have little experience in taking initiative and responsibility." Problems can be readily identified but few solutions are offered. "In the past, once a problem has been identified and someone else blamed for it, all attempts at problem resolution would cease."

An inability to seek communal solutions is a function of post-Soviet difficulties in evaluating reality. "In the Soviet Union, the individual was never expected to make observations, draw conclusions, and decide what the truth is." That was the prerogative of the state which defined reality according to political considerations. Small wonder that some people in the former Soviet Union are disoriented, "unable to distinguish facts from rumors, wishful thinking, paranoid explanations, and disinformation."

One of the more debilitating features of the post-Soviet psyche is the kind of arrogance and posturing which is the result of a feeling of inadequacy. "It is difficult for former Soviet citizens to work toward a common goal when everyone feels personally inadequate for the perceived job because of a lack of experience with assuming responsibility, risk-taking, or decision-making." This inadequacy, however, is never admitted. On the contrary. Pretense, arrogance and denial are common defense mechanisms.

Having experienced empty slogans and the corruption of all personal and common ideals, many post-Soviet citizens have difficulties accepting altruism, especially from outsiders. "All foreign aid is assumed to be given for purely selfish, self-serving, ulterior motives," writes Dr. Gulens. This attitude, in turn, makes it difficult for them to be appreciative of assistance, to simply say "thank you."

And finally, there is anger. "Individuals who have experienced a lifetime of humiliation, harassment, persecution, injustice and betrayal develop an understandable sense of outrage."

Dr. Gulens offers many more insights into post-Soviet society but suggests that more study is needed to assess the damage. "The forces that have deformed the personality of the Soviet citizen are complex and long standing. The damage is so pervasive that one can entertain the idea that it contributed significantly to the collapse of the Soviet empire."

He concludes that "the evident differences between 'them' and 'us' are manifestations of deep psychological distortions in personality and social relations that have arisen from decades of humiliation, harassment, persecution and betrayal. Damage to conscience formation and function has led to severe impairment in morality, altruism and fairness."

Little of what Dr. Gulens writes is especially encouraging. His perceptions, however, ring true and offer a kind of cushion against overreaction when "they" do to "us" what we would not want to do to them.

Myron Kuropas' e-mail address is: mbkuropas@compuserve.com.

| Home Page |