'Hate Speech' and Discriminatory Practices towards Other People

The images of "enemies" and "friends" remain in the focus of attention due to escalating discriminatory practices towards communication partners from different groups that one tends to ascribe negative features based on various stereotypes, social attitudes and representations. In this paper, the problem of metaphorical and narrative foundations of such phenomena as "discrimination" and "hate speech" is investigated. The purpose of this pilot research was studying the influence of "friend" and "alien" metaphors and the ideas of adults about Enemy and Friend on their adopting discriminatory practices towards other people. The author's technique for researching the metaphors of "friends" and "aliens" was developed, as well as one for studying the way discriminatory practices towards other people get adopted. The techniques for studying the characteristics of ideas about Enemy and Friend were applied. The empirical model of "friend" and "alien" metaphors and "enemy" and "friend" images as cognitive predictors of discriminatory practices towards others has been demonstrated. The correlation between "friend" and "alien" metaphors of different kinds, characteristics of personality's ideas about Enemy and Friend were analysed. The results of this research can be of use in solving the applied tasks in psychology of conflicts, in psychological consulting and tolerance trainings.