“Bulgaria on three seas!”: An example of regression as a defense mechanism experienced by a large-group in a response to its national inferiority complex

Abstract

“Bulgaria on three seas” is a commonly used phrase in Bulgaria. It is used on national celebration days, around government election days, in populist campaigns, on TV shows, on social media, at folkloric concerts and gatherings and in simple everyday conversations. The phrase signifies a specific golden century of Bulgarian history characterized by the fact that Bulgaria reaches the Black, White and Adriatic seas. Today, the phrase is regularly used by Bulgarians when they talk about their country. This glorious time is also used as part of the political and public rhetoric where ideology has nationalistic character. It is present during political public debates about the country's reactions to both its past and its future. The phrase “Bulgaria on three seas” lifts the national spirit during moments of struggle. And all that raises questions about why Bulgarians constantly refer to this part of their history and what this regressive behavior demonstrates. This article aims to provide a psychological explanation, combining the concepts of regression (going back to the past), denial of the present and national inferiority complex (perceived helplessness and weakness) in order to analyze how a nation could respond to its own feelings of national group inferiority. It explains how regression is a response to one's own feelings of inferiority and it contributes to the studies of large-group psychology established by Vamik Volkan by offering an alternative explanation. The work demonstrates that regression is the Bulgarian way of dealing with its own inferiority complexes when in denial about what is happening in the present. This takes place when group identity (or an aspect of it) is questioned. The article also provides a pathway to further exploration of how other nations deal with similar experiences.