Why people choose deliberate ignorance in times of societal transformation.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey and historiographical case study (graded Level 4 by design analogy, non-clinical).
PubMed 36095910 · doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105247
What was done
To examine why citizens chose not to inspect their Ministry for State Security (Stasi) surveillance files after the opening of East German archives in 1991, the authors combined psychological survey methods with historiographical analysis.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data, sample sizes, or effect estimates. It identifies several qualitative categories of reasons for deliberate ignorance: regulating negative emotional states, avoiding interpersonal conflict, skepticism regarding the compiled information, and rejecting the authority of the post-reunification political system. The authors note that individual participants prioritized personal harmony and cooperation over institutional goals of transparency and justice.
Why it matters
The findings illustrate how individual psychological priorities during societal transformation can diverge from institutional transparency and transitional justice policies, offering a behavioral framework for why individuals voluntarily reject information.
Limits
The abstract provides no sample size, participant demographics, quantitative metrics, or statistical tests. The analysis relies on retrospective self-reports of historical decisions, which are prone to recall bias and post-hoc rationalization. Generalizability beyond post-reunification Germany to other transitional justice settings is unmeasured.
Cited by
- supports A psychological study conducted after the fall of the Berlin Wall found significant individual differences in deliberate ignorance regarding whether former East German citizens chose to view their Stasi surveillance files.