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Johnson J, Sattler D, Van Hiel A, Dierckx K, Luo S, Vezzali L. Violent Assault on a Chinese Man: COVID-19 Psychosocial Resource Loss Diminishes Right Wing Authoritarianism Variability in Societal Reactions. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2023; 38:5542-5563. [PMID: 36112879 PMCID: PMC9478194 DOI: 10.1177/08862605221123301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We examined whether prejudice-related personality characteristics (i.e., right wing authoritarianism [RWA]) and COVID-19-driven psychological resource loss might predict perpetrator-directed punitive responding (i.e., support for criminal charges) to a COVID-19-related attack on a Chinese victim by a White male. Across two studies, participants completed an RWA measure and reported the extent they had experienced COVID-19-related psychosocial resource loss. They then read a passage describing the COVID-19-related physical assault. For both studies, at low resource loss levels, low RWA participants reported greater punitive responding toward the perpetrator than high RWA participants. This RWA-punitive responding association was mediated by greater victim-directed suffering sensitivity (i.e., empathy) for Study 1 and greater anti-perpetrator reactions (i.e., hate crime perceptions) for Study 2. The RWA association with the relevant outcome variables (i.e., suffering sensitivity, anti-perpetrator bias, and punitive responding) was eliminated at high psychological resource loss levels. Specifically, low and high RWA participants reported similar reactions. While previous research has demonstrated that high RWA individuals tend to report greater outgroup-directed prejudicial responses due to COVID-19-driven perceptions of threat, our findings demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic can also elicit feelings of resource loss that can diminish the egalitarian reactions typically reported by low RWA individuals. In sum, we demonstrate that experiencing difficult life circumstances such as COVID-19 psychosocial resource loss can diminish supportive reactions toward victimized minority group members even among low RWA participants who are typically expected to be more sensitive to the struggles of those who are disadvantaged.
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Chen G, Dang J. Crowds’ malice behind the screen: The normative influences of online dehumanization on discrimination against foreigners. GROUP PROCESSES & INTERGROUP RELATIONS 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/13684302221127228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
With the ubiquitous presence of the Internet, comments that dehumanize foreigners are frequently found on social networking platforms. These comments may function as dehumanizing norms and facilitate discrimination against foreigners in the offline world. In the current research, three studies were conducted to explore this possibility. Study 1 was a correlational study that revealed a positive association between dehumanizing norms and discrimination against foreigners. Studies 2 and 3 manipulated dehumanizing norms and found that these norms promoted discrimination against foreigners via increased prejudice toward them. Study 3 further measured perceived online anonymity and revealed that decreasing perceived online anonymity buffered the destructive influences of dehumanizing norms. In conclusion, to our knowledge, the current research represents the first attempt to empirically explore the normative influences of dehumanization on discrimination against foreigners and provides practical implications for comment management on the Internet.
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Faragó L, Ferenczy-Nyúl D, Kende A, Krekó P, Gurály Z. Criminalization as a justification for violence against the homeless in Hungary. The Journal of Social Psychology 2021; 162:216-230. [PMID: 33470185 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2021.1874257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Criminalization of social groups can create new norms for intergroup relations. An example for this is the 2018 amendment to the Hungarian Fundamental Law, which openly criminalizes homeless people. In our research, we investigated whether criminalization of homelessness can become a source of justifying violence against homeless people in the Hungarian context. We assumed that right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation would positively predict support for violence against the homeless, and the acceptance of a criminalizing law can serve as a justification for this. Our hypotheses were tested using a convenience (N = 196) and a representative sample of the population of Budapest (N = 674). We found that both RWA and SDO predicted support for violence, and this connection was mediated by the new law. We also found that justification was influenced by educational level, as the association between SDO and violence increased with higher levels of education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Faragó
- Doctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.,Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Anna Kende
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Krekó
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.,Political Capital Institute, Budapest, Hungary
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Gries P, Yam PPC. Ideology and international relations. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Van Hiel A, Onraet E, Bostyn DH, Stadeus J, Haesevoets T, Van Assche J, Roets A. A meta-analytic integration of research on the relationship between right-wing ideological attitudes and aggressive tendencies. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/10463283.2020.1778324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alain Van Hiel
- Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Emma Onraet
- Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dries H. Bostyn
- Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jonas Stadeus
- Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tessa Haesevoets
- Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jasper Van Assche
- Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Arne Roets
- Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Hudson SKTJ, Cikara M, Sidanius J. Preference for hierarchy is associated with reduced empathy and increased counter-empathy towards others, especially out-group targets. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2019.103871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Lindén M, Björklund F, Bäckström M, Messervey D, Whetham D. A latent core of dark traits explains individual differences in peacekeepers’ unethical attitudes and conduct. MILITARY PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/08995605.2019.1671095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Magnus Lindén
- Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - David Whetham
- Department of Defence Studies, Kings College London, UK
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da Costa Silva K, Álvaro JL, Torres ARR, Garrido A. Terrorist threat, dehumanization, and right-wing authoritarianism as predictors of discrimination. Scand J Psychol 2019; 60:616-627. [PMID: 31490016 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This study analyzed the relationship between terrorist threat and discrimination, operationalized by support for retributive justice against Islamic groups suspect of terrorist crimes. Two experimental studies were performed. Study 1 (N = 215) showed that the terrorist threat against the ingroup raises the support for the retributive procedures through the dehumanization of the outgroup. Study 2 (N = 304) analyzed how the mediating role of dehumanization in the relationship between terrorist threat and support for retributive justice is moderated by right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). In addition, the study aimed to verify if the dehumanization of outgroup and RWA could explain the relationship between terrorist threat and discrimination of Muslim immigrants. The results indicated that adherence to RWA favors dehumanization of the outgroup and, consecutively, the discrimination, operationalized as support for the use of retributive justice. The adherence to RWA has been identified as the mechanism that explains the discrimination against Muslim immigrants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalil da Costa Silva
- Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Cidade Universitária, João Pessoa, 58051-900, Brazil
| | - José Luis Álvaro
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Campus de Somosaguas, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Spain
| | | | - Alicia Garrido
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Campus de Somosaguas, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Spain
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Lindén M, Björklund F, Bäckström M. How a terror attack affects right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and their relationship to torture attitudes. Scand J Psychol 2018; 59:547-552. [PMID: 29958323 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Self-reported level of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), the two facets of social dominance orientation (SDO-Dominance and SDO-Egalitarianism) and pro-torture attitudes were measured both in the immediate aftermath (terror salience, N = 152) of the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels and when terrorism was not salient (non-salience, N = 140). Results showed that RWA and pro-torture attitudes, but not SDO-Dominance and SDO-Egalitarianism, were significantly higher immediately after. Furthermore, RWA and SDO both predicted pro-torture attitudes more strongly under terror salience. We argue that the reason why RWA is higher under terror salience is a response to external threat, and that SDO-Dominance may be more clearly related to acceptance of torture and other human-rights violations, across context. Future research on the effects of terror-related events on sociopolitical and pro-torture attitudes should focus on person-situation interactions and also attempt to discriminate between trait and state aspects of authoritarianism.
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Kteily NS, Bruneau E. Darker Demons of Our Nature: The Need to (Re)Focus Attention on Blatant Forms of Dehumanization. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.1177/0963721417708230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Although dehumanization research first emerged following the overt and conscious denials of humanity present during war and genocide, modern dehumanization research largely examines more subtle and implicit forms of dehumanization in more everyday settings. We argue for the need to reorient the research agenda toward understanding when and why individuals blatantly dehumanize others. We review recent research in a range of contexts suggesting that blatant dehumanization is surprisingly prevalent and potent, uniquely predicting aggressive intergroup attitudes and behavior beyond subtle forms of dehumanization and outgroup dislike, and promoting vicious cycles of conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nour S. Kteily
- Department of Management and Organizations, Northwestern University
| | - Emile Bruneau
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
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Bruneau E, Kteily N. The enemy as animal: Symmetric dehumanization during asymmetric warfare. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181422. [PMID: 28746412 PMCID: PMC5528981 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically, dehumanization has enabled members of advantaged groups to ‘morally disengage’ from disadvantaged group suffering, thereby facilitating acts of intergroup aggression such as colonization, slavery and genocide. But is blatant dehumanization exclusive to those at the top ‘looking down’, or might disadvantaged groups similarly dehumanize those who dominate them? We examined this question in the context of intergroup warfare in which the disadvantaged group shoulders a disproportionate share of casualties and may be especially likely to question the humanity of the advantaged group. Specifically, we assessed blatant dehumanization in the context of stark asymmetric conflict between Israelis (Study 1; N = 521) and Palestinians (Study 2; N = 354) during the 2014 Gaza war. We observed that (a) community samples of Israelis and Palestinians expressed extreme (and comparable) levels of blatant dehumanization, (b) blatant dehumanization was uniquely associated with outcomes related to outgroup hostility for both groups, even after accounting for political ideologies known to strongly predict outgroup aggression, and (c) the strength of association between blatant dehumanization and outcomes was similar across both groups. This study illuminates the striking potency and symmetry of blatant dehumanization among those on both sides of an active asymmetric conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emile Bruneau
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Nour Kteily
- Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States of America
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Pavón-Cuéllar D. Psicología y Destrucción del Psiquismo: La Utilización Profesional del Conocimiento Psicológico para la Tortura de Presos Políticos. PSICOLOGIA: CIÊNCIA E PROFISSÃO 2017. [DOI: 10.1590/1982-3703010002017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Resumen: El artículo aborda el tema de la utilización de la Psicología para la tortura de presos políticos en el mundo y especialmente en América Latina. Primero se incursiona en el reciente debate sobre los psicólogos torturadores de los Estados Unidos. Luego se recuerdan los precedentes del empleo de la Psicología para torturar en la Alemania nazi, la España franquista, la represión colonial francesa en Argelia y la estrategia militar estadounidense durante la Guerra Fría. La consideración de tales precedentes y del reciente debate en los Estados Unidos permite llegar a una representación general de la forma en que la Psicología opera en la tortura como forma de supresión y desintegración del psiquismo. Esta representación general guía un análisis de los casos de cuatro profesionales de la salud mental que pusieron sus profesiones al servicio de regímenes autoritarios latinoamericanos para torturar a presos políticos entre los años 60 y 70 del siglo XX: el psiquiatra mexicano Salvador Roquet, el psicoanalista brasileño Amílcar Lobo Moreira, el psicólogo uruguayo Dolcey Brito y el psicólogo chileno Hernán Tuane.
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