Enemy images: The psychology of U.S. attitudes and cognitions regarding the Soviet Union.

The images that the United States and the Soviet Union hold of one another may play a large role in perpetuating the nuclear arms race. Although many psychologists are unaware of it, much research has been done on the psychology of US. images of the Soviet Union. This work has been done from a variety of psychological perspectives, including psychodynamic, cognitive, devel- opmental and social Here, I describe the results of this research, discuss the theoretical and methodological issues that have arisen, and suggest a number of questions that need to be answered. Finally, I argue that psychologists have not only the capability but also the responsibility to further understanding of the processes that lead the people of one nation to exaggerate the threatening aspects of an- other nation and to apply this understanding to the mutual enemy images of the superpowers. In order to meet this responsibility, we should take advantage of the current thaw in the Cold War to focus concerted, sustained atten- tion on the problem.