Adversary symbiosis and complementary group dissociation: An analysis of the U.S./U.S.S.R. conflict

Abstract

This paper explores the psychological basis for the reciprocal stereotyping that governs U.S./Soviet perceptions of one another. The primary obstacle to mutuality in the relationship between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. is their use of each other reciprocally as projective targets by which each deals with its unacceptable aggressive impulses. Soviet-American relations are discussed in terms of a model of adversary symbiosis, wherein each member of the pair complements one another to preserve the enmity. The influence of American and Russo-Soviet national psychology and cultural history on present perception, expectation, and attitudes is examined. Repetitive themes from American cinema, music, literature, and automotive design from the late 1970s and early 1980s are adduced to illustrate the unconscious American preparation for hostility. It is further argued that reciprocal provocation paradoxically makes the Soviets more “Russian” and the Americans more “American” than would otherwise occur. It is argued that the principal “reality” governing Soviet-American nations is projective, and that until that process is examined the vicious cycle of anxiety (fueling the armament race) will continue.