Psycho-Social Reactions to Unexpected Collective Border Experiences
State: first stage of the project is completed
The initial question of the project was how the consequences of dramatic global occurrences can be predicted. More precisely of occurrences that are conceivable, in the worst case probable, but that have not happened yet in the form imagined - at least not during the historically recorded history of mankind.
The examined example for this study, which is for the time being theoretic and methodological (project phase 1), is the hypothetic contact of humanity with an alien civilization. The main question here is which collective psychological reactions to such an event are possible and which long term consequences for social, political, cultural and religious systems could arise. In order to arrive at an appraisal of these reactions four applicable research strategies have been used: (1) the scientific study of imagined scenarios of contact and of pictures of aliens in science-fiction as well as of their impact on the viewer. (2) a historical comparative examination of the contacts between terrestrial civilizations that differ greatly in terms of technology and culture, (3) a socio-psychological study of the confrontation of humans with the "maximum stranger" and (4) a comparative political examination of the reactions of the political elite to the occurrence of surprising events with global effects.
The project will be continued.
Project leader: PD Dr. Michael Schetsche
Publications:
Michael Schetsche (2006): Panik im Angesicht des maximal Fremden. Von Aliens und anderen transterrestrischen Katastrophen der Zukunft. In: Telepolis (Netzmagazin), http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/23/23831/1.html (11.12.2006) [Panic in the face of the maximum stranger. About aliens and other transterrestrian catastrophes of the future.]
Schetsche, Michael (2005): Zur Prognostizierbarkeit der Folgen außergewöhnlicher Ereignisse. In: R. Hitzler und M. Pfadenhauer (Hg.): Gegenwärtige Zukünfte. Interpretative Beiträge zur sozialwissenschaftlichen Diagnose und Prognose. Wiesbaden: VS – Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, S. 55-71. [On the possibility of forecasting the consequences of unanticipated incidents]
Michael Schetsche (2003): Soziale Folgen der Entdeckung einer außerirdischen Zivilisation. In. Nachrichten der Olbers-Gesellschaft, Heft 200, S. 33-37. [SETI and the consequences. Social implications of the detection of an extraterrestrial civilisation]
Michael Schetsche (2003): Soziale Folgen der Entdeckung einer außerirdischen Zivilisation - Zweiter Teil: Grundlegende Faktoren kollektiver psychischer Reaktionen. In: Nachrichten der Olbers-Gesellschaft, Heft 202, S. 26-30. [SETI and the consequences. Social implications of the detection of an extraterrestrial civilisation. Part 2. Basic factors of collective psychological reactions.]
Michael Schetsche (2003): Soziale Folgen der Entdeckung einer außerirdischen Zivilisation - Dritter Teil: Verständigungsprobleme, kollektive Projektionen und die Rolle der Öffentlichkeit. In: Nachrichten der Olbers-Gesellschaft,Heft 203, S. 7-11. [SETI and the consequences. Social implications of the detection of an extraterrestrial civilisation. Part 3. Problems of understanding, collective projections and the role of the public]
Michael Schetsche (2003): SETI und die Folgen. Futurologische Betrachtungen zur Konfrontation der Menschheit mit einer außerirdischen Zivilisation. In: telepolis (Netzmagazin). [English version: SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and the Consequences: Futurological Reflections on the Confrontation of Mankind with an Extraterrestrial Civilization. URL:http://www.astrosociology.com/Library/PDF/Contributions/SETIandConsequences_ENG.pdf]
