Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSignsTypesExamplesCausesImpactFighting XenophobiaWhat Is the Opposite of Xenophobic?History

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Signs

Types

Examples

Causes

Impact

Fighting Xenophobia

What Is the Opposite of Xenophobic?

History

Xenophobia, or fear of strangers, is a broad term that may be applied to any fear of someone different from an individual. Hostility towards outsiders is often a reaction to fear.It typically involves the belief that there is a conflict between an individual’s ingroup and an outgroup.

Xenophobia often overlaps with forms ofprejudice, includingracismandhomophobia, but there are important distinctions. Where racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination are based on specific characteristics, xenophobia is usually rooted in the perception that members of the outgroup are foreign to the ingroup community.

Whether xenophobia qualifies as a legitimate mental disorder is a subject of ongoing debate.

Xenophobia is also associated with large-scale acts of destruction and violence against groups of people.

Signs of Xenophobia

How can you tell if someone is xenophobic? While xenophobia can be expressed in different ways, typical signs include:

While it may represent a true fear, most xenophobic people do not have a true phobia. Instead, the term is most often used to describe people who discriminate against foreigners and immigrants.

People who express xenophobia typically believe that their culture or nation is superior, want to keep immigrants out of their community, and may even engage in actions that are detrimental to those who are perceived as outsiders.

Fear vs. Phobia: What’s the Difference?

Is Xenophobia a Mental Disorder?

Xenophobia is not recognized as a mental disorder in theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-5). However, some psychologists and psychiatrists have suggested that extreme racism and prejudice should be recognized as a mental health problem.

Some have argued, for example, that extreme forms of prejudice should be considered a subtype ofdelusional disorder. It is important to note that those who support this viewpoint also argue that prejudice only becomes pathological when it creates a significant disruption in a person’s ability to function in daily life.

Other professionals argue that categorizing xenophobia or racism as a mental illness would be medicalizing a social problem.

What to Know About the DSM-5-TR

Types of Xenophobia

There are two primary types of xenophobia:

The desire to belong to a group is pervasive—and strong identification with a particular group can even be healthy.However, it may also lead to suspicion of those who are perceived to not belong.

Xenophobia vs. Racism

Xenophobia and racism are similar in that they both involve prejudice and discrimination, but there are important differences to consider. Where xenophobia is the fear of anyone who is considered a foreigner, racism is specifically directed toward people based on their race or ethnicity. People can be both xenophobic and racist.

Examples of Xenophobia

Causes of Xenophobia

There are a number of different factors believed to contribute to xenophobia:

Impact of Xenophobia

Xenophobia doesn’t just affect people at the individual level. It affects entire societies, including cultural attitudes, economics, politics, and history. Examples of xenophobia in the United States include acts of discrimination and violence against Latinx, Mexican, and Middle Eastern immigrants.

Xenophobia has been linked to:

Certainly, not everyone who is xenophobic starts wars or commits hate crimes. But even veiled xenophobia can have insidious effects on both individuals and society. These attitudes can make it more difficult for people in certain groups to live within a society and affect all aspects of life includinghousing access, employment opportunities, and healthcare access.

The twisting of a positive trait (group harmony and protection from threats) into a negative (imagining threats where none exist) has led to any number of hate crimes, persecutions, wars, and general mistrust.

Xenophobia has a great potential to cause damage to others, rather than affecting only those who hold these attitudes.

How to Combat Xenophobia

If you struggle with feelings of xenophobia, there are things that you can do to overcome these attitudes.

If your or a loved one’s xenophobia is more pervasive, recurring despite exposure to a wide variety of cultures, then professional treatment might be in order. Choose atherapistwho is open-minded and interested in working with you for a long period of time.

Xenophobia is often deeply rooted in a combination of upbringing, religious teachings, and previous experiences. Successfully combating xenophobia generally means confronting numerous aspects of the personality and learning new ways of experiencing the world.

What Is the Opposite of Xenophobic?While xenophobia describes a fear of strangers, foreigners, or immigrants, xenophilia, or the act of being xenophilic, describes an appreciation and attraction to foreign people or customs.

While xenophobia describes a fear of strangers, foreigners, or immigrants, xenophilia, or the act of being xenophilic, describes an appreciation and attraction to foreign people or customs.

History of Xenophobia

Xenophobia has played a role in shaping human history for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and Romans used their beliefs that their cultures were superior to justify the enslavement of others. Many nations throughout the world have a history of xenophobic attitudes toward foreigners and immigrants.

The term xenophobia originates from the Greek word xenos meaning “stranger” and phobos meaning “fear.

Xenophobia has also led to acts of discrimination, violence, and genocide throughout the world, including:

Recent examples in the United States include discrimination toward people of Middle Eastern descent (often referred to as “Islamophobia”) and xenophobic attitudes towards Mexican and Latinx immigrants.The COVID-19 pandemic also led to reports of xenophobia directed toward people of East Asian and Southeast Asian descent in countries throughout the world.

How People’s Prejudices Develop

10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Suleman S, Garber K, Rutkow L.Xenophobia as a determinant of health: An integrative review.J Public Health Policy. 2018;39(4):407-423. doi:10.1057/s41271-018-0140-1Choane M, Shulika LS, Mthombeni M.An analysis of the causes, effects and ramifications of xenophobia in South Africa.Insight Afr. 2011;3(2):12-142.Poussaint AF.Is extreme racism a mental illness? Yes: It can be a delusional symptom of psychotic disorders.West J Med. 2002;176(1):4. doi:10.1136/ewjm.176.1.4Bell C.Racism: A mental illness?.Psychiatr Serv. 2004;55(12):1343. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.55.12.1343Baumeister RF, Leary MR.The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.Psychol Bull. 1995;117(3):497-529.National Cancer Institute.Let’s talk about xenophobia and anti-Asian hate crimes.Klein JR.Xenophobia and crime. In: Miller JM, ed.The Encyclopedia of Theoretical Criminology. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing; 2014. doi:10.1002/9781118517390.wbetc094Merriam-Webster. ‘Xenophobia’ vs. ‘racism.‘Romero LA, Zarrugh A.Islamophobia and the making of Latinos/as into terrorist threats.Ethnic Racial Stud. 2018;12:2235-2254. doi:10.1080/01419870.2017.1349919American Medical Association.AMA warns against racism, xenophobia amid COVID-19.

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Suleman S, Garber K, Rutkow L.Xenophobia as a determinant of health: An integrative review.J Public Health Policy. 2018;39(4):407-423. doi:10.1057/s41271-018-0140-1Choane M, Shulika LS, Mthombeni M.An analysis of the causes, effects and ramifications of xenophobia in South Africa.Insight Afr. 2011;3(2):12-142.Poussaint AF.Is extreme racism a mental illness? Yes: It can be a delusional symptom of psychotic disorders.West J Med. 2002;176(1):4. doi:10.1136/ewjm.176.1.4Bell C.Racism: A mental illness?.Psychiatr Serv. 2004;55(12):1343. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.55.12.1343Baumeister RF, Leary MR.The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.Psychol Bull. 1995;117(3):497-529.National Cancer Institute.Let’s talk about xenophobia and anti-Asian hate crimes.Klein JR.Xenophobia and crime. In: Miller JM, ed.The Encyclopedia of Theoretical Criminology. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing; 2014. doi:10.1002/9781118517390.wbetc094Merriam-Webster. ‘Xenophobia’ vs. ‘racism.‘Romero LA, Zarrugh A.Islamophobia and the making of Latinos/as into terrorist threats.Ethnic Racial Stud. 2018;12:2235-2254. doi:10.1080/01419870.2017.1349919American Medical Association.AMA warns against racism, xenophobia amid COVID-19.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Suleman S, Garber K, Rutkow L.Xenophobia as a determinant of health: An integrative review.J Public Health Policy. 2018;39(4):407-423. doi:10.1057/s41271-018-0140-1Choane M, Shulika LS, Mthombeni M.An analysis of the causes, effects and ramifications of xenophobia in South Africa.Insight Afr. 2011;3(2):12-142.Poussaint AF.Is extreme racism a mental illness? Yes: It can be a delusional symptom of psychotic disorders.West J Med. 2002;176(1):4. doi:10.1136/ewjm.176.1.4Bell C.Racism: A mental illness?.Psychiatr Serv. 2004;55(12):1343. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.55.12.1343Baumeister RF, Leary MR.The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.Psychol Bull. 1995;117(3):497-529.National Cancer Institute.Let’s talk about xenophobia and anti-Asian hate crimes.Klein JR.Xenophobia and crime. In: Miller JM, ed.The Encyclopedia of Theoretical Criminology. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing; 2014. doi:10.1002/9781118517390.wbetc094Merriam-Webster. ‘Xenophobia’ vs. ‘racism.‘Romero LA, Zarrugh A.Islamophobia and the making of Latinos/as into terrorist threats.Ethnic Racial Stud. 2018;12:2235-2254. doi:10.1080/01419870.2017.1349919American Medical Association.AMA warns against racism, xenophobia amid COVID-19.

Suleman S, Garber K, Rutkow L.Xenophobia as a determinant of health: An integrative review.J Public Health Policy. 2018;39(4):407-423. doi:10.1057/s41271-018-0140-1

Choane M, Shulika LS, Mthombeni M.An analysis of the causes, effects and ramifications of xenophobia in South Africa.Insight Afr. 2011;3(2):12-142.

Poussaint AF.Is extreme racism a mental illness? Yes: It can be a delusional symptom of psychotic disorders.West J Med. 2002;176(1):4. doi:10.1136/ewjm.176.1.4

Bell C.Racism: A mental illness?.Psychiatr Serv. 2004;55(12):1343. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.55.12.1343

Baumeister RF, Leary MR.The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.Psychol Bull. 1995;117(3):497-529.

National Cancer Institute.Let’s talk about xenophobia and anti-Asian hate crimes.

Klein JR.Xenophobia and crime. In: Miller JM, ed.The Encyclopedia of Theoretical Criminology. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing; 2014. doi:10.1002/9781118517390.wbetc094

Merriam-Webster. ‘Xenophobia’ vs. ‘racism.’

Romero LA, Zarrugh A.Islamophobia and the making of Latinos/as into terrorist threats.Ethnic Racial Stud. 2018;12:2235-2254. doi:10.1080/01419870.2017.1349919

American Medical Association.AMA warns against racism, xenophobia amid COVID-19.

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