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Reininger KM, Koulen H, Biel HM, Hennig T, Pietras L, Kokot MR, Löwe B, Briken P, Moritz S. A Pilot Study of Metacognitive Training in U.S. Republican Leaners: Reducing Polarization Toward LGBTIQ+ Persons. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2024; 53:1609-1620. [PMID: 38647830 PMCID: PMC11106205 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02856-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Negative attitudes and stigmatization toward sexual minorities is a cause of minority stress of non-heterosexual persons on an individual level and has a negative impact on democratic coexistence in postmodern, plural society on a societal level. Derived from clinical research, we developed a short metacognitive training (MCT) intended to induce doubt toward inaccurate beliefs about LGBTIQ+ persons. We expected this MCT to reduce homonegativity, threat perceptions of LGBTIQ+ persons, and to foster extended outgroup tolerance compared to an education and a no-treatment control condition. We tested this hypothesis in U.S. Republican leaners who represent a social group that is likely to hold homonegative attitudes. We randomly assigned 490 U.S. Republican leaners to an MCT condition comprising 16 questions and respective answers (n = 166) vs. an education control condition (n = 164) vs. a no-treatment control condition (n = 160). We found that Republican leaners after receiving MCT (1) had a significant reduction of homonegativity (ds ≥ 0.28), (2) significantly perceived LGBTIQ+ persons as less threatening (ds ≥ 0.30), and (3) were significantly more tolerant of various outgroups such as LGBTIQ+ persons, feminists, liberals, and climate activists (ds ≥ 0.23) relative to both control conditions. The small effects of this short intervention and the possibility of systematically applying MCT in social discourse to reduce homonegativity with its potential significance for LGBTIQ+ individuals' mental health are discussed. Furthermore, we highlight this pilot study's significance toward intervention possibilities regarding political division and polarization in postmodern, democratic societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Michael Reininger
- Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
- Institute of Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Helena Koulen
- Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hannah Marie Biel
- Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Timo Hennig
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Inclusive Education, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Laura Pietras
- Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Sex Research Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Rochus Kokot
- Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Bernd Löwe
- Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Peer Briken
- Institute of Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Sex Research Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Moritz
- Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University-Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Kruglanski AW, Ellenberg M, Szumowska E, Molinario E, Speckhard A, Leander NP, Pierro A, Di Cicco G, Bushman BJ. Frustration-aggression hypothesis reconsidered: The role of significance quest. Aggress Behav 2023; 49:445-468. [PMID: 37282763 DOI: 10.1002/ab.22092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
One of the oldest scientific theories of human aggression is the frustration-aggression hypothesis, advanced in 1939. Although this theory has received considerable empirical support and is alive and well today, its underlying mechanisms have not been adequately explored. In this article, we examine major findings and concepts from extant psychological research on hostile aggression and offer an integrative conception: aggression is a primordial means for establishing one's sense of significance and mattering, thus addressing a fundamental social-psychological need. Our functional portrayal of aggression as a means to significance yields four testable hypotheses: (1) frustration will elicit hostile aggression proportionately to the extent that the frustrated goal serves the individual's need for significance, (2) the impulse to aggress in response to significance loss will be enhanced in conditions that limit the individual's ability to reflect and engage in extensive information processing (that may bring up alternative, socially condoned means to significance), (3) significance-reducing frustration will elicit hostile aggression unless the impulse to aggress is substituted by a nonaggressive means of significance restoration, (4) apart from significance loss, an opportunity for significance gain can increase the impulse to aggress. These hypotheses are supported by extant data as well as novel research findings in real-world contexts. They have important implications for understanding human aggression and the conditions under which it is likely to be manifested and reduced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arie W Kruglanski
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Molly Ellenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Ewa Szumowska
- Institute of Psychology, Department of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Erica Molinario
- Department of Psychology - The Water School, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, Florida, USA
- Institute of Psychology, Department of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University Krakow, Krakow, Poland
| | - Anne Speckhard
- Founding Director - International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE), Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - N Pontus Leander
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Antonio Pierro
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Rome, "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriele Di Cicco
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Rome, "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
| | - Brad J Bushman
- School of Communication, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Livingstone AG. Felt understanding in intergroup relations. Curr Opin Psychol 2023; 51:101587. [PMID: 37245467 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, I review recent research on the importance of intergroup felt understanding - the belief that outgroup members understand and accept the perspectives of ingroup members - in intergroup relations. I first discuss felt understanding in conceptual terms in the broader context of research on intergroup meta-perception, before reviewing recent findings on how feeling understood in intergroup terms predicts more positive intergroup outcomes such as trust. In the second part, I consider future possibilities for this work, including (1) how felt understanding relates to other concepts such as 'voice' and feeling empathized with; (2) how felt understanding might be fostered through interventions; and (3) connections between felt understanding - and the more general concept of responsiveness - and intergroup contact.
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Balinhas D. Bringing critical social psychology to the study of political polarization. SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Verkuyten M, Yogeeswaran K, Adelman L. The social psychology of intergroup tolerance and intolerance. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/10463283.2022.2091326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maykel Verkuyten
- Ercomer, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Levi Adelman
- Ercomer, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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Zitzmann S, Loreth L, Reininger KM, Simon B. Does Respect Foster Tolerance? (Re)analyzing and Synthesizing Data From a Large Research Project Using Meta-Analytic Techniques. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2021; 48:823-843. [PMID: 34148460 PMCID: PMC9121536 DOI: 10.1177/01461672211024422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Our own prior research has demonstrated that respect for disapproved others predicts and might foster tolerance toward them. This means that without giving up their disapproval of others' way of life, people can tolerate others when they respect them as equals (outgroup respect-tolerance hypothesis). Still, there was considerable variation in the study features. Moreover, the studies are part of a larger research project that affords many additional tests of our hypothesis. To achieve integration along with a more robust understanding of the relation between respect and tolerance, we (re)analyzed all existing data from this project, and we synthesized the results with the help of meta-analytic techniques. The average standardized regression coefficient, which describes the relationship between respect and tolerance, was 0.25 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.16, 0.34]). In addition to this overall confirmation of our hypothesis, the size of this coefficient varied with a number of variables. It was larger for numerical majorities than for minorities, smaller for high-status than for low-status groups, and larger for religious than for life-style groups. These findings should inspire further theory development and spur growth in the social-psychological literature on tolerance.
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Zitzmann S, Loreth L. Regarding an "Almost Anything Goes" Attitude Toward Methods in Psychology. Front Psychol 2021; 12:612570. [PMID: 33679527 PMCID: PMC7933038 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.612570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Zitzmann
- Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Loreth
- Department of Psychology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
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Reininger KM, Schaefer CD, Zitzmann S, Simon B. Dynamics of respect: Evidence from two different national and political contexts. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.5964/jspp.v8i2.1199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In (post-)modern, plural societies, consisting of numerous subgroups, mutual respect between groups plays a central role for a constructive social and political life. In this article, we examine whether group members’ perception of being respected by outgroups fosters respect for these outgroups. In Study 1, we employed a panel sample of supporters of the Tea Party movement in the United States (N = 422). In Study 2, we employed a panel sample of members of the LGBTI community in Germany (N = 262). As disapproved target outgroups, we chose in Study 1 homosexuals in the United States, while in Study 2, we chose supporters of the German populist, right-wing political party „Alternative für Deutschland“. Our studies thus constituted a complementary, nearly symmetrical constellation of a liberal group and a conservative political group each. Among Tea Party movement supporters, respect from a disapproved outgroup consistently predicted respect for that outgroup. Among German LGBTI community members, this effect of respect from a disapproved outgroup was found in some of our analyses. For this latter sample, there was furthermore a tendency of societal respect to predict respect for a disapproved outgroup longitudinally. Additionally, we observed for both of our samples that respect from other ingroup members decreased respect for a disapproved outgroup. The dynamics of mutual respect in these two complementary intergroup contexts are discussed as well as the importance of direct intergroup reciprocity and superordinate group membership as routes to mutual respect.
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