Amidst guilt feelings, Germans attribute the guilt demand to a hostile outside world

Evidence

Although there is a diffuse interest in reconciliation and making up for the historical crimes, emotions and behavior of the victims’ descendants are often stereotypically misperceived or wrongly anticipated (Brendler, 1994). It is believed to be the non-German environment that supposedly demands that Germans feel guilty. While it is admitted that at such times they “feel ashamed of being German,” this feeling remains largely alien to the self and is simultaneously defensively delegitimized as caused by a hostile non-German environment. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 1181

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Defensive Germans superficially accept guilt while warding off latent responsibility — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 1180; Germany’s superiority claims coexisted with deep felt vulnerability from past devastation. — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide: The Social…, 97