Why GDR citizens don't read their Stasi files

The files fill almost 111 linear kilometers of shelves; they document the surveillance of an entire people. For decades, the Stasi had the citizens of the GDR observed, eavesdropped on, spied on - and documented everything in detail. During the Peaceful Revolution in 1989, these documents were saved from destruction and archived; Since then, those affected have had the opportunity to view their files – if they so wish.

But that's exactly what many former GDR citizens apparently don't want. Although, according to a survey, more than five million people assume that the Stasi kept files on them, only just under two million have so far submitted an application for inspection. The majority prefers to let the past rest - and the opportunity to gain clarity, pass unused. How can this behavior be explained?

Ralph Hertwig from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Dagmar Ellerbrock from the Technical University of Dresden investigated this question. "We are dealing here with the psychological phenomenon of 'deliberate ignorance', the so-called willing ignorance," says Hertwig, director of the research department Adaptive Rationality. In their study, which has just been published in the journal "Cognition", the psychologist and the historian examined the reasons for this.

To do this, the researchers conducted a survey with 134 people who assumed that their files existed but did not want to read them. They were able to tick why in a questionnaire with 15 given reasons. Most frequently, participants indicated that the information was no longer relevant to their lives today. Other motives were the fear that colleagues or friends and relatives might have acted as informants, as well as the bureaucratic burden or concerns about the usefulness and credibility of the information. But the fear of losing trust, difficult decisions, later regret or painful memories also played a role.

Some also declined the inspection because they saw themselves as convinced GDR citizens - or thought it wrong to reduce the GDR to the Stasi. On average, each respondent gave five reasons; also because some motives are interconnected, as Hertwig and Ellerbrock write: “A respondent who fears that relatives or friends might have worked as informants could also fear being confronted with decisions that he would rather avoid. "

In order to uncover such connections, the researchers conducted biographical interviews with 22 other people affected - from teachers to SED officials to housewives. The answers make clear the partly complex causes for the intentional ignorance. There is the Stasi functionary who is convinced that intelligence services should also protect themselves. The mother who fears her daughter's father may have been an informant. Or the pastor, who doesn't want to be angry with the informers because they were often forced to spy on them. According to him, reading his file would only have disadvantages – for everyone.

In fact, respondents focused primarily on what they could lose by viewing. Nobody considered that reading it could also dispel and relieve a long-held suspicion. And something else stands out: although those affected claimed that the information was irrelevant, they feared the negative effects it would have on their future.

The consequences that the revelations could have on their lives outweighed ideals such as transparency, accountability or remorse; The latter were not even mentioned, as the two researchers sum up. "Many East Germans, perhaps even the majority, do not seem to share the view that a Stasi file is a gift for remembrance." Ignorance can also be a blessing.

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