Article Version of Record

Defending or Challenging the Status Quo: Position Effects on Biased Intergroup Perceptions

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Bäck, Emma A.
Lindholm, Torun

Abstract / Description

The default ideological position is status quo maintaining, and challenging the status quo is associated with increased efforts and risks. Nonetheless, some people choose to challenge the status quo. Therefore, to challenge the status quo should imply a strong belief in one’s position as the correct one, and thus efforts may be undertaken to undermine the position of others. Study 1 (N = 311) showed that challengers undermined, by ascribing more externality and less rationality, the position of defenders to a larger extent than defenders did of challengers’ position. Studies 2 (N = 135) and 3 (N = 109) tested if these effects were driven by the implied minority status of the challenging position. Results revealed no effects of experimentally manipulated numerical status, but challengers were again more biased than defenders. Study 3 also revealed that challengers felt more negatively toward their opponents (possibly due to greater social identification with like-minded others), and these negative emotions in turn predicted biased attributions. Results are important as they add to the understanding of how intergroup conflict may arise, providing explanations for why challengers are less tolerant of others’ point of view.

Keyword(s)

intergroup biases status quo position effects numerical status

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2014-05-27

Journal title

Journal of Social and Political Psychology

Volume

2

Issue

1

Page numbers

77–97

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Bäck, E. A., & Lindholm, T. (2014). Defending or Challenging the Status Quo: Position Effects on Biased Intergroup Perceptions. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 2(1), 77–97. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v2i1.158
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Bäck, Emma A.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Lindholm, Torun
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-11-26T12:44:37Z
  • Made available on
    2018-11-26T12:44:37Z
  • Date of first publication
    2014-05-27
  • Abstract / Description
    The default ideological position is status quo maintaining, and challenging the status quo is associated with increased efforts and risks. Nonetheless, some people choose to challenge the status quo. Therefore, to challenge the status quo should imply a strong belief in one’s position as the correct one, and thus efforts may be undertaken to undermine the position of others. Study 1 (N = 311) showed that challengers undermined, by ascribing more externality and less rationality, the position of defenders to a larger extent than defenders did of challengers’ position. Studies 2 (N = 135) and 3 (N = 109) tested if these effects were driven by the implied minority status of the challenging position. Results revealed no effects of experimentally manipulated numerical status, but challengers were again more biased than defenders. Study 3 also revealed that challengers felt more negatively toward their opponents (possibly due to greater social identification with like-minded others), and these negative emotions in turn predicted biased attributions. Results are important as they add to the understanding of how intergroup conflict may arise, providing explanations for why challengers are less tolerant of others’ point of view.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Bäck, E. A., & Lindholm, T. (2014). Defending or Challenging the Status Quo: Position Effects on Biased Intergroup Perceptions. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 2(1), 77–97. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v2i1.158
    en_US
  • ISSN
    2195-3325
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1325
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.1684
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v2i1.158
  • Keyword(s)
    intergroup biases
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    status quo
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    position effects
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    numerical status
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Defending or Challenging the Status Quo: Position Effects on Biased Intergroup Perceptions
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    1
  • Journal title
    Journal of Social and Political Psychology
  • Page numbers
    77–97
  • Volume
    2
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record