CLASS 16

MOTIVES EMOTIONS AND INTERGROUP RELATIONS

Religion, the Forbidden, and SublimationCohen, Kim, & Hudson, 2014

Sublimation “Favors” Protestants

Protestants, more than Catholics and Jews

Regard taboo thoughts (not just deeds) as sinfulPlace moral weight on thoughts and feelings, rather than actionsJudge people who think taboo thoughts to be sinfulBelieve bad thought bad deedsProtestants more likely to suppress “bad” thoughts

Salvation Through Action, and Only Through Action

Salvation from sin through workReligion does not provide ritualized means for confession

SUBLIMATION: Past and Present

Freud: Creativity allows forbidden to be expressed in disguised form.

Moderns:

Suppressed ideation merges with “System 1” pool, engages with other material, leads to creative output.

Incubation in creativity: Mind works on unresolved issues unconsciously, as background process.

Hey: Unresolved issues reminds us of what Lewinian construct?

Zeigarnik Effect

Experiment DesignSubjects: Protestants, Catholics, Jews – all males, who have sisters

Procedure: Ss view photos, as if from family albumSs write brief caption, as if from personal pastBoy in picture = self; girl in picture = Sister OR GirlfriendPhotos of girl: moderately plain vs. swimsuit model

Outcome Measures: Career choices; creative tasks (clay, poetry)

Sister Girlfriend

Plain No threat No threat

Sexy Threat No threat

Results

Threatened Protestants:

1. Rated creative jobs (architect, designer, author) more desirable

2. Created more creative sculptures

3. Created more creative poetry

Basic pattern replicates for taboo thoughts related to hostility

“Chicago style”“The life”

Sculptures: “Threatened” Protestants more creative than Catholics, Jews

Stereotype ThreatAronson & McGlone, 2009

Stereotype Threat Defined Psychological discomfort people experience when:

a. Harsh stereotypes applied to their group (e.g., ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation)

b. Stereotypes relate to task that person is attempted to master (e.g. math test, writing)

c. Stereotypes made salient in context of task

Stereotype Threats can be self-fulfilling

a. Threat can disrupt performance, thus confirming stereotype

b. Threat can make performance domain aversive, leading to dis-identification

Demonstrations of Stereotype Threat

Steele & Aronson, 1995

Prediction: Stereotype loses potency if task is not stereotype-diagnostic

Method: Black and White undergrads complete GRE-level verbal items[Stereotype: Blacks less verbally competent]

Diagnostic condition: Test is IQ type test, truly diagnostic about verbal skillsNon-diagnostic cond: Test is not diagnostic, unrelated to intelligence

Diagnostic Non-Diagnostic

White No threat No threat

Black Threat No threat

Performance as a Function of Subject Race and Test Diagnosticity

IQ Diagnostic Not IQ Diagnostic0

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Black White

Result is # items correctly solved

Demonstrations of Stereotype Threat

Steele & Aronson, 1995

Prediction: Stereotype loses potency if task is not stereotype-diagnostic

Method: Black and White undergrads complete GRE-level verbal items[Stereotype: Blacks less verbally competent]

No threat prime: Subjects NOT asked to report their ethnicity before testThreat prime: Subjects Are asked to report their ethnicity before test

No-Threat Prime Threat Prime

White No threat No threat

Black No threat Threat

Performance as a Function of Subject Race and Threat Prime

Threat Prime No Threat Prime0

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Black White

Result is # items correctly solved

Stereotype Threat Applies to ANY Group Subject to Hostile Stereotypes

Women in math and science

Latinos

Native Americans

Low-income Whites

Elderly (memory tasks)

Stereotype Threat of Being a Strereotyper:Whites’ Feedback to Minorities

(Harber, 1998)

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Content

Mechanics

Individual Differences in Stereotype Threat Vulnerability

Blacks who have high expectations of racial prejudice

Internal LOC (as possible mediator). Why would this be?

Mediating Mechanisms in Stereotype Threat Vulnerability

Anxiety:Self-reports– nadaPsychophysio (Blood-Pressure)—Blacks in threat condition show heightened arousal

Women under threat do BETTER, but only during EASY test. Why?

Yerkes Dotson function: Performance increases for moderate arousal

Expectations: Little to no evidence of this

Effort: Little to no evidence to support reduced effort

Priming effects: S-T may have some priming effects, but largely limited to Stereotype targets.

Terror Management Theory and PrejudiceGreenberg et al., 2009

Human’s Existential DilemmaHumans are like other animals

a. Mortal b. Compelled to flee from mortal danger

Humans are unlike other animalsa. Aware of mortality b. Aware cannot flee mortal danger of mortality

Animal compulsion to flee + awareness of inescapable mortality Existential Terror

Terror Management Theory (TMT)To cope with mortality angst, humans seek death transcendence

World view, supplied by culture, provides routes to death transcendence

People Who Challenge World Views Represent Existential Threats When mortality is made salient (MS), people need to hold on to beliefs

Those who challenge beliefs undermine our existential shelter

Those who challenge beliefs are therefore attacked, but mainly when mortality is salient

Terror Management Research DesignMortality Salience (MS) induction

Write about what will happen to you as you physically die.Write about the emotions aroused in you by the thought of your own death.

Control Condition

Write about going to the dentist for painful dental work.Write about the emotions aroused in you by the thought of this dental exam.

Outcome Measure

Attitudes toward group that challenges own world-view, or other means of death transcendence (e.g., career).

Mortality Salience (MS) Induces Hostility Towards:Other religions: Jews, Moslems

Those who evoke reminders of animal nature: Women (for men), elderly (for young)

Other nationalities: Germans (for Italians), Americans (for Iranians), Middle Easterners (for USA)

Own in-groups: For those whose ancestry deviates for majority-culture

MS also induces attraction towards:

Leaders, others who:a. Support world viewb. Provide definite, clear, uncomplicated world view

Moderators of, Challenges to, TMT Individual Differences in susceptibility to MS

1. Intolerance for ambiguity / need for certainty2. Depression3. Low Self Esteem4. Poorly attached

Challenge to TMT

1. Mortality threat or self-esteem threat?2. Loss of life or loss of self?

Remedies to MS 1. Relativistic world view2. Boost resources (YES!): Self-esteem, self worth, attachment