Why being right is not enough: Predicting defensiveness in the face of group criticism

Loyal Deviance: Testing the Normative Conflict Model of Dissent in Social Groups

The normative conflict model predicts that expressions of dissent within groups can be motivated by the collective interest and that strongly identified members may dissent from group norms if and when they are perceived to be harmful to the collective. We present convergent evidence from four studies in support of the model. Study 1 investigated retrospective reports of disagreements and found that strongly identified members reported collectively oriented motives for expressing disagreement within their groups. Studies 2a and 2b provided experimental tests of the prediction that strongly identified group members are willing to dissent when they reflect on how a norm could harm their group but not when they reflect on negative individualistic consequences of the same norm. Finally, Study 3 replicated these effects using a correlational design that measured actual opinion expression in an ostensible online chat room.

Religion in the Face of Uncertainty: An Uncertainty-Identity Theory Account of Religiousness

The authors characterize religions as social groups and religiosity as the extent to which a person identifies with a religion, subscribes to its ideology or worldview, and conforms to its normative practices. They argue that religions have attributes that make them well suited to reduce feelings of self-uncertainty. According to uncertainty-identity theory, people are motivated to reduce feelings of uncertainty about or reflecting on self; and identification with groups, particularly highly entitative groups, is a very effective way to reduce uncertainty. All groups provide belief systems and normative prescriptions related to everyday life. However, religions also address the nature of existence, invoking sacred entities and associated rituals and ceremonies. They are entitative groups that provide a moral compass and rules for living that pervade a person’s life, making them particularly attractive in times of uncertainty. The authors document data supporting their analysis and discuss conditions that transform religiosity into religious zealotry and extremism.

The Effects of Exclusion and Reintegration on the Evaluation of Deviant Opinion Holders

It seems likely that treatment of deviants within a group will be determined not just by the nature of their deviance but also by the history of their treatment. In two experiments, participants read cases in which group members advocated for change in a way that was non-normative for the group and were marginalized as a result. Participants were further informed that either the deviant was psychologically reintegrated or remained marginalized. Results showed that when deviants were reintegrated group members were more negative toward the deviant the more they identified with the group. Where the deviant remained excluded, this effect either disappeared or reversed. These effects were mediated by participants’ perceptions of the destructiveness of the deviant’s message, suggesting that ongoing exclusion can defuse threat. Reintegration into the group can have ironic costs in a person’s ability to communicate a deviant opinion successfully.