PSYC 361 Module #6 Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA), Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and Prejudice

What is Prejudice?

Holding negative attitudes about the outgroup and/or positive attitudes about the ingroup

What is Discrimination?

Having the power to engage in behaviour that ultimately builds institutional practices that undermine the outcomes of an outgroup

Conservatives… (Prejudice Gap)

• Score higher on prejudice than liberals

• More likely to express hostility, intimidation, support anti-democratic policies and practices, more likely to support acts of terrorism and political violence 

Prejudice Gap may occur (personality traits):

Political orientation is also correlated with _____ that predispose people towards prejudiced beliefs and behaviour

Prejudice Gap may occur (value systems):

Political orientation is also correlated with ____ that lead to prejudiced beliefs and behaviour

Prejudice Gap may occur (sufficient counter evidence):

there is __________ that politically conservative individuals are less prejudiced when they have personality traits and value systems that promote openness and egalitarian values

What are Social Ideologies?

Sets if attitudes and beliefs that predispose people to:

• Certain ways to view the world

• Respond to events in what’s consistent with those viewpoints

Why are Social Ideologies Important?

• satisfy psychological needs and motives

• Inspire conviction and purpose

• guide feelings, thoughts, and behaviour towards others

Unidimensional Approach

Views ideological attitudes about prejudice as a single dimension

• Left (Liberal) – Right (Conservative)

Problems with This Unidimensional approach

• Measures social attitudes rather than personality 

• All indicate higher authoritarianism

• Later included reversed scored items lacked reliability and does not work with this unidimensional approach

Dual-Process Motivational Model (DPMM)

John Duckitt and colleagues highlights two theories and personality dispositions that are associated with prejudice:

• Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) 

• Social Dominance Orientation (SDO)

Authoritarian submission [Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA)] 

A high degree of submission to the authorities who are perceived to be established and legitimate in society

Conventionalism [Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA)] 

A high degree of adherence to the social conventions that are perceived to be endorsed by society and its established authorities

Authoritarian aggression [Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA)] 

 A general aggressiveness against persons/out groups that are perceived to be sanctioned by established authorities

Role of authority figures is essential

People high in RWA accept prejudice against groups condemned by authority figures as legitimate

Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) Predicted by:

low Openness to Experience and high Conscientiousness

Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) [Group-based dominance]

Belief that one’s group ought to be at the top of the social ladder

Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) [Opposition to equality]

Belief that groups on the bottom of the social ladder ought to stay there

 legitimizing myths

People high in SDO justify their dominant position society and deny equality to other groups

How is SDO predicted?

By low Agreeableness

RWA vs. SDO

RWA and SDO are positively associated with authority, loyalty, sanctity, but negative associated with care and fairness.

although RWA and SDO are often related, they have distinct social and motivational bases (SDO)

Group dominance & Competition | other groups competing for resources

• High conscientiousness = there is a way of doing things and it should be kept that way

• “They are coming for out Job”

although RWA and SDO are often related, they have distinct social and motivational bases (RWA)

• RWA: threatening the society

  • See dangerous outgroups as threatening their way of life

RWA and Prejudice

Is associated with the motivational goal of establishing and maintaining societal security, order, cohesion, and stability

Focuses on:

• Seeking security against perceived threats from other groups

• Security comes from conformity to group norms and obedience to authority

SDO and Prejudice

Is associated with the motivational goal of maintaining power, dominance, and superiority over others

Focuses on:

• Dominance over outgroups or relations between groups 

• Eliminating competition for resources from other groups

RWA and SDO predicted prejudice against different outgroups (RWA)

 socially threatening but not subordinate

• All these ‘dissident groups’ violate conventional social norms or values and would be seen as threatening social cohesion, order and stability

RWA and SDO predicted prejudice against different outgroups (SDO)

Socially subordinate but not threatening

• Only significantly associated with negativity to ‘feminists’, ‘protestors’, ‘persons who criticize those in authority’ – groups that challenge existing social inequalities 

Who Supports Trump?

People higher in anti-egalitarianism (SDO-E), authoritarianism and traditionalism more likely to indicate an intention to vote for Donald Trump

• Trump voters were uniquely driven by the desire to dominate out-group members in an aggressive manner

Why Research Support for Trump

Authoritarian voters might have been drawn to trump, not out of value for convention and tradition but rather endorsement of aggression toward our-group members

Prejudices of both conservatives and liberals are rooted in perceived value conflicts (Conservatives)

Perceive groups such as liberals, atheists, lesbians and gay men as holding values that threaten their own values

Prejudices of both conservatives and liberals are rooted in perceived value conflicts (Liberals)

perceive groups such as conservatives, business people, and religious fundamentalists as having values that threaten their own values

Which of the following statements BEST describes the relationship between political orientation and prejudiced attitudes?

Poltical orientation has little to do with prejudiced attitudes and RWA and SDO are controlled for

Recent Mega study looked at 25 interventions to reduce Americans partisan animosity and support for partisan violence. What were their findings?

Most interventions reduced partisan animosity and support for partisan violence

The “Prejudice Gap” refers to:

Conservatives scoring higher on prejudice than liberals

What were some interventions ides in a recent Mega Study that aimed to reduce partisan animosity?

Common national identity

Which ideologies did they find were associated with LESS belief issues that had scientific consensus? (Kerr & Williams, 2021)

RWA and SDO

What was the most consistent mediator that explained why ideological factors reduced peoples beliefs in science? (Kerr & Williams, 2021)

Scientist Credibility