Nationalism is an ideology that holds that political and national units are essentially the same. It has proven to be one of the most important and galvanizing forces in modern society. It has helped society bind together and helped different groups of people find a sense of identity. This ideology has presented a past meaning about the nation, a present view of the nation as well as some future set of actions and vision for the nation and the society, moving forward.
Usually, we see that Nationalists tend to place a lot of loyalty towards their nation, which is usually above other types of loyalties, like social and political loyalties (Harrison K., & Boyd T., 2018). Examples of nationalism and this type of loyalty can be seen through various movements, like MAGA, which stands for “Making America Great Again”. Here, many people tend to ask- “Why do people tend to hold such loyalty and love towards their nation?” There are some psychological concepts that can help explain this.
One of the main reasons is belonging to a group. The need to belong to a particular group is one of the most important needs of human beings in their lifetime. They want to be part of a particular group that can provide them some security and that feeling of belongingness. Some research papers talk about how the nation-states that are present today tend to seek and grant belonging by determining who can be formal or informal members of the nation and society. These boundaries then tend to be consequential in creating and determining who is entitled to resources in the nation, like housing and jobs (Knott E., 2017).
Ingroup vs outgroup dynamics also tend to be associated with a sense of nationalism and patriotism. People who belong to one social group like a nation tend to associate themselves as one group. It is also seen that such groups of people tend to belong to the same culture or have the same civilizational heritage. (Sheppard H., Bizumic B., & Iino N., 2023).
Along with this, we can explain a sense of nationalism due to social identity theory as well. A research paper by Huddy L., & Feldman S., (2011) talked about how 9/11 influenced a sense of national identity among all Americans. This sense of national security and identity was felt more pronounced among those people who felt angry at terrorists and wanted to avenge the death of their loved ones who died. In another paper by Skitka L.J., (2007), it was found out that there was an increase in flag-showing tendencies among Americans after 9/11. This symbolized uncritical love and conformity for their nation. This research also talks about how such in-group behaviors like showing one’s national flag and identity increased only when the outgroup posed some danger for the in-group.
Thus, we can say that due to these factors, there is a sense of nationalism and love towards their nations among people.
References-
Harrison K., & Boyd T., (2018). Nationalism. In book: Understanding political ideas and movements.
Knott E., (2017). Nationalism and belonging: introduction. Nations and Nationalism, 23 (2). pp. 220-226. ISSN 1354-5078 DOI: 10.1111/nana.12297 https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/69667/1/Knott_Nationalism%20and%20Belonging.pdf
Sheppard H., Bizumic B., & Iino N., (2023). A reconceptualization of nationalism: Intragroup and intergroup nationalism in ethnic majority and minority groups
Huddy L., & Feldman S., (2011). Americans respond politically to 9/11: understanding the impact of the terrorist attacks and their aftermath.
Skitka L.J., (2007). Patriotism or Nationalism? Understanding Post-September 11,2001, Flag-Display Behavior. https://lskitka.people.uic.edu/flag.pdf
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