Lessons from Morality-Based Social Identity: The Power of Outgroup “Hate,” Not Just Ingroup “Love”
Abstract
Based on the unique features of morality, we suggest that group memberships rooted in moral convictions are a special classification of inherently threatening social groups in which outgroup “hate” naturally occurs with ingroup “love.” Three studies explored emotional reactions to ingroups and outgroups by individuals whose group memberships were either morality-based or non-morality-based. Results of each study indicated that individuals in morality-based groups reported less positive ingroup emotions and more negative outgroup emotions and threat than did those in non-morality-based groups. Additionally, strength of morality-based identification was predicted by attitudes about both the ingroup and the outgroup, but only attitudes about the ingroup predicted identification for non-morality-based groups. Together, these studies suggest a necessary interdependence of ingroup positivity and outgroup negativity for social groups based in morality. We conclude that negative outgroup-related emotions may be just as important as positive ingroup-related emotions for social identification based on moral convictions.
Figures
Skitka, L. J., & Mullen, E. (2002). The dark side of moral conviction. Analyses of Social Issues and
Public Policy, 2, 35–41.
Stephan, W. G., & Renfro, C. L. (2002). The role of threat in intergroup relations. In D. M. Mackie & E.
R. Smith (Eds.), From prejudice to intergroup emotions: Differentiated reactions to social groups
(pp. 191–207). New York: Psychology Press.
Stephan, W. G., & Stephan, C. W. (2000). An integrated threat theory of prejudice. In S. Oskamp (Ed.),
Reducing prejudice and discrimination (pp. 23–45). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Turiel, E. (1983). The development of social knowledge: Morality and convention. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Zhong, C., Phillips, K. W., Leonardelli, G. J., & Galinsky, A. D. (2008). Negational categorization and
intergroup behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 793–806.
Soc Just Res
123
- CitationsCitations10
- ReferencesReferences50
- "foreigners, gays and lesbians, ethnic minorities), it is plausible that this scale would be related to hate material exposure. It seems reasonable to predict that more hate materials would be produced, posted, and distributed in nations with a less tolerant citizenry since intolerance is related to the rejection of outgroups (Allport 1958; Parker and Janoff-Bulman 2013). Conversely, in nations where citizens tolerate diversity, one would expect fewer expressions that devalue others because of a group-based characteristic. "
[Show abstract] [Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: There is a considerable amount of hate material online, but the degree to which individuals are exposed to these materials vary. Using samples of youth and young adults from four countries, we investigate who is exposed to hate materials. We find support for using routine activity theory to understand exposure at the individual level; however, there is significant cross-national variation in exposure after accounting for individual-level factors. We consider two plausible hypotheses that could account for this cross-national variation. The data best fit the hypothesis that anti–hate speech laws may provide a source of guardianship against exposure.- "We thus feel certain that a society based wholly on our own morality would surely be best. Yet the reality on the ground is that we maintain our own moral perspective at the same time that others are pushing for opposing positions [54], balancing our own views. It is this system of countervailing views that may be adaptive in the end. "
[Show abstract] [Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Two studies explored the relationship between political ideology and endorsement of a range of moral principles. Political liberals and conservatives did not differ on intrapersonal or interpersonal moralities, which require self-regulation. However differences emerged on collective moralities, which involve social regulation. Contrary to Moral Foundations Theory, both liberals and conservatives endorsed a group-focused binding morality, specifically Social Justice and Social Order respectively. Libertarians were the group without a binding morality. Although Social Justice and Social Order appear conflictual, analyses based on earlier cross-cultural work on societal tightness-looseness suggest that countries actually benefit in terms of economic success and societal well-being when these group-based moralities co-exist and serve as counterweights in social regulation.- "The current research also extends this work by showing that it is the moral component of politicized individuals' opinions about the collective cause that explains their relations to attitudinally dissimilar others. Indeed, from the perspective of work on moral conviction (e.g., Skitka et al., 2005 ), disagreement about opinions that individuals do not perceive as morally relevant should not have led to the observed results (see also Parker & Janoff-Bulman, 2013). The current work thus extends the opinion-based group perspective on politicization by demonstrating that it is the moral aspect of people's opinions that determines how they respond to proponents and opponents of the cause. "
[Show abstract] [Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Three studies investigated how politicized collective identification affects individuals’ reactions towards others. We hypothesized that a strong politicized identity tends to be accompanied by a moral conviction about the politicized cause, which in turn determines how the politicized respond to those less committed to their cause. Consistent with this, Study 1 showed that politicized (feminist) identification is associated with lower identification with women who place moderate (vs. high) moral value on gender equality. Study 2 showed that politicized identification was associated with negative emotions towards people who disagree with this cause and this was mediated by the extent to which participants saw supporting the activist goal as morally obligatory. Study 3 showed that politicized identification, to the extent to which it implied holding a moral conviction about the activist cause, is associated with a desire for more social distance to an attitudinally dissimilar other, but not from an attitudinally similar other.
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.
This publication is from a journal that may support self archiving.
Learn more