Manifestations of Blind and Constructive Patriotism: Summary of Findings

I have proposed the existence of two types of patriotism: blind and constructive. Blind patriotism is an attachment to country that is characterized by unquestioning acceptance of its policies and practices and unquestioning allegiance. It is expressed in agreement with questions like “I would support my country right or wrong”; “People should not constantly try to change the way things are in America”; and “It is un-American to criticize this country.” Constructive patriotism combines attachment, love of country, with the capacity and willingness to question, criticize, and work for change. It is expressed in agreement with questions like “My love of country demands that I speak out against popular but potentially destructive policies”; “People should work hard to move this country in a positive direction”; and “If you love America, you should notice its problems and work to correct them.” Constructive patriots say, in essence, because I love my country I have to question problematic policies and practices. This study considers the manifestations of these two kinds of patriotism in attitudes and behaviors toward one's own country and toward other countries. The participants were undergraduate students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. They completed a questionnaire that intended to assess types of patriotism. The results showed that constructive patriotism was positively related to scores on a measure of prosocial value orientation, understood here to assess positive valuation of human beings and a feeling of personal and social responsibility for others' welfare.