A historical evaluation of the disease avoidance theory of xenophobia.

ABSTRACT: Historical psychology is emerging as a multidisciplinary field for studying psychological phenomena in a historical context. Historical records can also serve as testbeds for psychological theories, particularly the evolutionary ones. In Study 1 we aimed to gather evidence to evaluate the disease avoidance theory of xenophobia by analyzing the narratives of European explorers from the15th and 16th centuries. Contrary to the theory's expectations, the narratives revealed numerous instances of close physical contact between the explorers and the native populations. Furthermore, rather than using disgust-laden words, the explorers portrayed the natives in a positive light. In Study 2, we employed a word embedding algorithm to explore whether native group names and their unfamiliar appearance

SUBMITTER: Sunsay C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10752500 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature