Showing papers in "British Journal of Social Psychology in 2003"
TL;DR: Examining the optimal conceptualization of either two subcomponents or a general common factor for each TPB concept within an omnibus model identified that a general subjective norm factor was an optimal predictive conceptualization over two separate injunctive and descriptive norm components.
Abstract: The presence of two subcomponents within each theory of planned behaviour (TPB) concept of attitude (affective and instrumental), subjective norm (injunctive and descriptive), and PBC (self-efficacy and controllability) has been widely supported. However, research has not examined whether the commonality of variance between these components (i.e. a general factor) or the specificity of variance within the subcomponents influences intention and behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the optimal conceptualization of either two subcomponents or a general common factor for each TPB concept within an omnibus model. Further, to test whether conceptualizations may differ by population even within the same behavioural domain, we examined these research questions with 300 undergraduates (M age = 20) and 272 cancer survivors (M age = 61) for exercise behaviour. Results identified that a general subjective norm factor was an optimal predictive conceptualization over two separate injunctive and descriptive norm components. In contrast, a specific self-efficacy component, and not controllability or a general factor of PBC, predicted intention optimally for both samples. Finally, optimal models of attitude differed between the populations, with a general factor best predicting intention for undergraduates but only affective attitude influencing intention for cancer survivors. The findings of these studies underscore the possibility for optimal tailored interventions based on population and behaviour. Finally, a discussion of the theoretical ambiguity of the PBC concept led to suggestions for future research and possible re-conceptualization.
486 citations
TL;DR: The review reveals that the response to risk is a highly social, emotive and symbolic entity and a theory and methods appropriate to such qualities are proposed, to produce a valid psychology of risk.
Abstract: This paper is concerned with how people make meaning of the risks they face. It explores certain assumptions of the risk perception approaches, which dominate the area. It argues that despite changes currently taking place in the field, such models still focus on static, intrapersonal processes, with many viewing human thinking as analogous to erroneous information processing. In the place of an individual 'deficit' focus, the paper proposes a more intersubjective theory of the response to risk. Social representations theory is evaluated and its validity assessed by highlighting empirical work on representations of biotechnological and health risks. The review reveals that the response to risk is a highly social, emotive and symbolic entity. Therefore a theory and methods appropriate to such qualities are proposed, to produce a valid psychology of risk.
458 citations
TL;DR: Modification of the intention-behaviour relationship such that participants were most likely to exercise if they both intended to exercise and anticipated regret if they failed to exercise was shown to be mediated by the temporal stability of intention.
Abstract: Three studies tested the hypothesis that anticipated regret (AR) increases consistency between exercise intentions and behaviour. Study 1 employed a longitudinal survey design (N = 384). Measures specified by the theory of planned behaviour, past behaviour, and AR were used to predict self-reported exercise behaviour 2 weeks later. AR moderated the intention-behaviour relationship such that participants were most likely to exercise if they both intended to exercise and anticipated regret if they failed to exercise. Study 2 used an experimental design to examine the effect of focusing on AR prior to reporting intentions (N = 229). Exercise was measured 2 weeks later and the AR-focus manipulation was found to moderate the intention-behaviour relationship in a similar manner to that observed in Study 1. In Study 3 (N = 97), moderation was replicated and was shown to be mediated by the temporal stability of intention.
314 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that neither the 'hegemonic masculinity' nor the 'men as part of the family' perspectives exhaust the options for reading the gratifications and tensions advanced in men's accounts of living contemporary fatherhood.
Abstract: The study investigates men's responses to contemporary sociocultural transformations in masculinity and fatherhood, and revised expectations of them as fathers. Four cultural and academic perspectives on ‘new fatherhood’ are described: a progressive psychosocial transformation agenda, attempts to reinstate traditional family values, a mix of optimism and resistance to change in men and fathers' relationshipto the gender order, and criticism of new fatherhood discourse for reproducing hegemonic masculinity. A qualitative analysis is conducted of interviews conducted with a heterogeneous sample of 30 men aged 18–35 years in Norfolk. Interviewees overwhelmingly welcomed the opportunities offered to them by the new fatherhood model and supported a perceived cultural shift towards men and fathers being involved in, rather than detached from, family life. But three areas of tension and difficulty in living the ideal were also reported: providing cash and care; valuing selflessness and autonomy; and negotiating fairness, equity and decision making (for fathers who rather than helping out wanted full involvement in child care). We conclude that neither the ‘hegemonic masculinity’ nor the ‘men as part of the family’ perspectives exhaust the options for reading the gratifications and tensions advanced in men's accounts of living contemporary fatherhood. Arguments for greater balance in appreciating the problems and advantages of new fatherhood, or that men need to undergo greater change, also fail to offer points of closure.
304 citations
TL;DR: Emotional reactions of anger and their associated offensive action tendencies were more prevalent when participants were induced to see the victims and themselves as part of the same group and when they were highly identified with this common group.
Abstract: Building upon the social emotion model (Smith, 1999), we examined the combined impact of categorization context and social identification on emotional reactions and behavioural tendencies of people confronted with the victims of harmful behaviour. Depending on conditions, participants were led to categorize the victims and themselves in the same common group or in two distinct subgroups of the larger common group. We also measured participants' level of identification with the group that was made contextually salient. As predicted, emotional reactions of anger and their associated offensive action tendencies were more prevalent when participants were induced to see the victims and themselves as part of the same group and when they were highly identified with this common group. In line with appraisal theories of emotion, we also found that the emotional reaction fully mediated the impact of categorization context and identification on action tendencies. We discuss the data with respect to their implications for the role of emotion in improving intergroup relations.
290 citations
TL;DR: A proxy measure of actual control (PMAC) was developed and validated in order to test the assumption that the accuracy of perceived behavioural control determines the strength of the PBC-behaviour relationship.
Abstract: The theory of planned behaviour assumes that the accuracy of perceived behavioural control (PBC) determines the strength of the PBC-behaviour relationship. However, this assumption has never been formally tested. The present research developed and validated a proxy measure of actual control (PMAC) in order to test the assumption. In two studies, participants completed measures of intention and PBC, and subsequently completed measures of behaviour and the PMAC. Validity of the PMAC was established by findings showing; (a) that the PMAC moderated the intention-behaviour relation, and (b) that PMAC scores did not reflect attributions for participants' failure to enact their stated intentions. Accuracy was operationalized as the difference between PBC and PMAC scores. Consistent with theoretical expectations, several analyses indicated that greater accuracy of PBC was associated with improved prediction of behaviour by PBC.
234 citations
TL;DR: Results were consistent with the contention that attitudes toward inequality are group-specific and depend on the social-structural position of salient in-groups.
Abstract: In five studies we explored how the context in which people think about the social structure and the implications of the social structure for one's in-group affect attitudes toward inequality. In Studies 1 and 2 we found that social dominance orientation (SDO) scores reflect attitudes toward specific types of inequality that are salient in context. Consistent with social identity theory, in Studies 3 to 5 we found that SDO scores reflected the interests of specific group identities. Indeed, when we compared existing privileged and disadvantaged groups, and when we manipulated in-group status, we found that participants held more positive attitudes toward inequality when the in-group was privileged, compared to when the in-group was disadvantaged. Across all of our studies, results were consistent with the contention that attitudes toward inequality are group-specific and depend on the social-structural position of salient in-groups. We discuss the implications of our findings for social dominance theory.
232 citations
TL;DR: An observational study that attempted to chart some varieties of informal segregation on an 'open' beach in post-apartheid South Africa using a novel methodology to plot the ecology of racial distribution within this public setting over time indicated that processes of segregation operated in various ways to limit the opportunities for racial contact.
Abstract: The analysis of contact between groups must proceed from an uncomfortable realization. Notwithstanding its formal abolition in many societies, segregation remains pervasive as an informal mechanism for ordering and dee ning social relations. Social psychologists’ tendency to investigate contact under ‘ optimal’ conditions may obscure this fact. This article discusses an observational study that attempted to chart some varieties of informal segregation on an ‘open’ beach in post-apartheid South Africa. The study used a novel methodology to plot the ecology of racial distribution within this public setting over time. The analysis, which included measures of dissimilarity (D) and exposure (P), indicated that processes of segregation operated in various ways to limit the opportunities for racial contact. Follow-up interviews conducted with ‘ white’ holiday-makers suggested that such processes embodied shared assumptions about the ‘proper’ socio-spatial organization of race relations. Some implications for research on the contact hypothesis are discussed. Racial segregation as an ecological process is important for sociological analysis because the spatial pattern of the community is the basis of a moral order. It is an indication of the place of the racial group within the organization of the community and the interactions of people within the community (Frazier, 1962, p. 613). Social psychological research on intergroup contact has often worked within the theoretical framework of the contact hypothesis (Allport, 1954). The contact hypothesis stipulates that under the right conditions interaction between members of different groups will reduce negative intergroup attitudes and stereotypes. Contact should be intimate, cooperative and orientated towards the achievement of a shared goal. Moreover, it should occur between equal status participants who are interacting in an environment where integration is institutionally sanctioned. Where such conditions apply, the effectiveness of contact in reducing prejudice has usually been confirmed by research (see Pettigrew, 1998), and supportive findings continue to enter the psychological literature (e.g. Gaertner et al., 1999; Hamberger & Hewstone, 1997; Wittig & Grant-Thompson, 1998).
229 citations
TL;DR: The present study examines how, in group discussions, ethnic Dutch and ethnic minority people define and use essentialist notions about social groups and concludes that essentialism is not by definition oppressive and that de-essentialism isNot by definition progressive.
Abstract: Social psychologists studying intergroup perceptions have shown an increasing interest in essentialist thinking. Essentialist beliefs about social groups are examined as cognitive processes and these beliefs would serve to rationalize and justify the existing social system. Discourse analyses on racism have emphasized that problems of racism are to a large extent problems of essentialism. Anti-essentialism has emerged as an emancipatory discourse in the challenge of hegemonic representations and oppressive relations. The present study examines how, in group discussions, ethnic Dutch and ethnic minority people define and use essentialist notions about social groups. Both Dutch and ethnic minority participants engaged in an essentialist discourse in which an intrinsic link between culture and ethnicity was made. However, there were also examples where this discourse was criticized and rejected. This variable use of (de-)essentialism is examined in terms of the conversation's context and issues at hand, such as questions of assimilation, group provisions, cultural rights, and agency. The main conclusion of this paper is that essentialism is not by definition oppressive and that de-essentialism is not by definition progressive. The discursive power of (de-)essentialist group beliefs depends on the way they are used and the context in which they appear.
220 citations
TL;DR: Analysis of young women's talk on the subject of negotiating (hetero)sexual relationships suggests that voices of resistance to the sexual double standard may be muted and individual rather than collective, and that, accordingly, every effort should be made by those working with young women to recognize and support attempts to disrupt theSexual double standard.
Abstract: Despite significant changes in the social landscape over the past two decades, much ethnographic research suggests that young women's negotiations of (hetero)sexuality remain dominated by the sexual double standard. Within the sexual double standard, an active, desiring sexuality is positively regarded in men, but denigrated and regulated by negative labelling in women. This article analyses young women's talk on the subject of negotiating (hetero)sexual relationships, drawn from focus-group interviews with six groups of young women aged 16–18 years. A feminist, post-structuralist form of discourse analysis is used to analyse the material, the aim being to examine young women's talk about (hetero)sexuality from the standpoints of agency and resistance. Analyses identified various ways in which the sexual double standard was disrupted, including challenging the language of the sexual double standard, articulating sexual desire, and positioning of self and (hetero)sex within alternative discourses. The findings also suggest, however, that voices of resistance to the sexual double standard may be muted and individual rather than collective, and that, accordingly, every effort should be made by those working with young women to recognize and support attempts to disrupt the sexual double standard.
209 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that there are psychoanalytic concepts which can be helpful in exploring this 'inscription' of personal subjectivity and thus in explaining the trajectory of individual subjects; that is, their specific positioning in discourse.
Abstract: This paper is concerned with thinking through the cultural construction of personal identities whilst avoiding the classical social-individual division. Our starting point is the notion that there is no such thing as ‘the individual’, standing outside the social; however, there is an arena of personal subjectivity, even though this does not exist other than as already inscribed in the sociocultural domain. Our argument is that there are psychoanalytic concepts which can be helpful in exploring this ‘inscription’ and thus in explaining the trajectory of individual subjects; that is, their specific positioning in discourse. The argument is illustrated by data from a qualitative study of young masculinities, exploring the ways in which some individual boys take up positions in various degrees of opposition to the dominant ideology of ‘hegemonic’ masculinity.
TL;DR: Attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, behavioural intentions and self-reported behaviour were assessed in relation to 20 healthy eating behaviours in a prospective questionnaire design in 232 members of the general public in the UK to examine the moderating role of attitudinal ambivalence within the theory of planned behaviour.
Abstract: The present study examined the moderating role of attitudinal ambivalence within the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control (PBC), behavioural intentions and self-reported behaviour were assessed in relation to 20 healthy eating behaviours in a prospective questionnaire design in 232 members of the general public in the UK. Between-participants univariate and multivariate analyses indicated attitude-behaviour and PBC-behaviour relationships to be weaker in higher ambivalence compared to lower ambivalence respondents. These effects were confirmed in within-participants analyses. The findings are discussed in terms of the role of ambivalence in furthering our understanding of relationships in the TPB.
TL;DR: In both experiments, it was found that participants who had a weak moral basis for their attitude conformed to the group norm on private behaviours and counter-conformity on public behaviours.
Abstract: Most experiments on conformity have been conducted in relation to judgments of physical reality; surprisingly few papers have experimentally examined the influence of group norms on social issues with a moral component. In response to this, participants were told that they were either in a minority or in a majority relative to their university group in terms of their attitudes toward recognition of gay couples in law (Expt 1: N = 205) and a government apology to Aborigines (Expt 2: N = 110). In both experiments, it was found that participants who had a weak moral basis for their attitude conformed to the group norm on private behaviours. In contrast, those who had a strong moral basis for their attitude showed non-conformity on private behaviours and counter-conformity on public behaviours. Incidences of non-conformity and counter-conformity are discussed with reference to theory and research on normative influence.
TL;DR: It is concluded that research in this area could benefit from starting to focus on the role of evaluations in practices and charting their association with specific topics and objects.
Abstract: In social psychology, evaluative expressions have traditionally been understood in terms of their relationship to, and as the expression of, underlying 'attitudes'. In contrast, discursive approaches have started to study evaluative expressions as part of varied social practices, considering what such expressions are doing rather than their relationship to attitudinal objects or other putative mental entities. In this study the latter approach will be used to examine the construction of food and drink evaluations in conversation. The data are taken from a corpus of family mealtimes recorded over a period of months. The aim of this study is to highlight two distinctions that are typically obscured in traditional attitude work ('subjective' vs. 'objective' expressions, category vs. item evaluations). A set of extracts is examined to document the presence of these distinctions in talk that evaluates food and the way they are used and rhetorically developed to perform particular activities (accepting/refusing food, complimenting the food provider, persuading someone to eat). The analysis suggests that researchers (a) should be aware of the potential significance of these distinctions; (b) should be cautious when treating evaluative terms as broadly equivalent and (c) should be cautious when blurring categories and instances. This analysis raises the broader question of how far evaluative practices may be specific to particular domains, and what this specificity might consist in. It is concluded that research in this area could benefit from starting to focus on the role of evaluations in practices and charting their association with specific topics and objects.
TL;DR: It is concluded that social dominance theory is flawed by conceptual inconsistencies and has been disconfirmed empirically in relation to its key hypothesis of behavioural asymmetry.
Abstract: Schmitt, Branscombe and Kappen (2003) and Wilson and Lui (2003) present a persuasive series of studies which raise major problems for the conceptualization of social dominance orientation in social dominance theory. Building on these and other data in the literature, this commentary summarizes six fundamental criticisms which can be made of the theory. We conclude that social dominance theory is flawed by conceptual inconsistencies and has been disconfirmed empirically in relation to its key hypothesis of behavioural asymmetry. The reaction of subordinate groups to the social hierarchy is better explained by social identity theory.
TL;DR: The speeches delivered by Patrice Lumumba during the decolonization of the Belgian Congo were analysed using the content analysis software ALCESTE and it is shown that group representations should be studied not only as justifications for the existing social order but also as instruments of social change.
Abstract: This article examines how group representations can be used strategically to induce social change. The speeches delivered by Patrice Lumumba during the decolonization of the Belgian Congo were analysed using the content analysis software ALCESTE. Lumumba used radically different descriptions of Belgians and Congolese depending on the period during which the speech was delivered and on the audience he was addressing (Congolese or Belgian). When addressing Belgians, he described their countrymen as benevolent allies who could assist the development of Congo, and the Congolese as pacific and friendly. When addressing Congolese audiences, Belgians were described as oppressors, and Congolese as victims. In addition he emphasized the unity of the country more at the end of the decolonization process than at its onset. Considering that his nationalist and pan-African aims remained stable, we suggest that this variability stems from the different actions expected from his audiences, as a function of their group membership and the political context. We argue that this performative dimension cannot be captured if group representations, including stereotypes, are only viewed in cognitive terms. In addition, we show that they should be studied not only as justifications for the existing social order but also as instruments of social change.
TL;DR: Analysis focuses on how Clinton's portrayal of Lewinsky accomplished a reflexive portrayal of himself, not as mendacious and exploitative, but as caring, responsible, sincere, rational and consistent, while reducing the scope and implications of their admitted sexual relationship.
Abstract: We examine links between factual recall, emotion and constructions of normativity in narrative accounts, using as an empirical case President Clinton's descriptions of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. We analyse those accounts in the sequences of talk in which they occurred, under Grand Jury cross-examination. Clinton's accounts of Lewinsky were part of how he attended to issues alive in court concerning himself, including his possible exploitation and abuse of power in an asymmetrical relationship; his motives, sincerity, credibility and intentions; and, indirectly, his fitness for office as President. Analysis focuses on how Clinton's portrayal of Lewinsky accomplished a reflexive portrayal of himself, not as mendacious and exploitative, but as caring, responsible, sincere, rational and consistent, while reducing the scope and implications of their admitted sexual relationship. This study is linked to a broader discursive psychology of factual description, memory, mental and emotional states, and their relevance to the larger business of institutional settings.
TL;DR: Analysis of gender differences in levels of social dominance orientation found that strength of gender identification was found to moderate the gender-SDO relationship, such that increasing group identification was associated with increasing SDO scores for males, and decreasing SDO for females.
Abstract: The aim of this research was to investigate the claim that gender differences in levels of social dominance orientation (SDO; Pratto, Sidanius, Stallworth, & Malle, 1994), a personality variable measuring a general predisposition towards anti-egalitarianism, are essentially invariant (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999). Previous findings have indicated that (regardless of covariate) males display higher levels of SDO than females. Two studies were conducted to test the expectation (derived from social identity theory) that the gender-SDO relationship would be moderated by strength of gender group identification. Both samples (150 non-students and 163 students) completed the full SDO(6) measure, and measures of gender group identification. Consistent with predictions, strength of gender identification was found to moderate the gender-SDO relationship, such that increasing group identification was associated with increasing SDO scores for males, and decreasing SDO for females. This result raises questions concerning the theoretical basis of social dominance theory, and whether gender group membership should be accorded a different status from other 'arbitrary-set' group memberships.
TL;DR: Analysis of accounts of those responsible for employment within a number of organizations shows that these accounts are rhetorically oriented towards potential attributions of age discrimination, allowing participants to position themselves as non-discriminating employers and at the same time justifies the marginalization of older workers.
Abstract: In recent years the principle of equality of opportunity in employment has been widely promoted as a means of addressing the marginalization of various groups of workers, including older workers. Evidence suggests, however, that equal opportunities have not improved prospects for older workers. The present study employs discourse analysis to examine a variety of accounts of those responsible for employment within a number of organizations. Analysis shows that these accounts are rhetorically oriented towards potential attributions of age discrimination. As evidence of a non-discriminatory stance, participants attend to possible shortcomings in written policies by making explicit their organizations' equal opportunity practices. In describing their workforces as comprising predominantly younger employees, however, they make only implicit reference to practices involving older workers. When they account for the apparent age imbalances in their workforces, they attribute these imbalances to factors outwith their control so that the organization's practices become completely 'invisible'. The contrast between this 'invisibility' and explicit claims to be committed to equal opportunities allows participants to position themselves as non-discriminating employers and at the same time justifies the marginalization of older workers.
TL;DR: In general, participants address identity claims to audiences that might question these claims (or are in a position to redress grievances), although because of reality constraints, this is easier when anonymous.
Abstract: Statements of social identification among ethnic minority members were examined as a function of group membership of the participants, group membership of the audience, and personal identifiability. In Study 1, Turkish migrants and Iranian refugees in the Netherlands expressed their identification with native and host groups as a function of the audience implicit in the language of the questionnaire (native, host). Turks stressed identification both with native and with the host group more to the host audience, whereas Iranians did not. Both groups, but particularly the Turks, emphasized the adaptation problems and associated stress, to the host culture and to the host audience. In Study 2, identification with native and host group was examined among Portuguese migrants in the Netherlands, as a function of audience (native, host) and personal identifiability (anonymous, identifiable). Degree of identification with native and host groups depended both on the audience and on personal identifiability. Results from both studies are explained primarily in terms of strategic self-presentation of identities, determined by the relation between the group and the audience. In general, participants address identity claims to audiences that might question these claims (or are in a position to redress grievances), although because of reality constraints, this is easier when anonymous.
TL;DR: This study suggests that offenders utilize a particular narrative organization to manage their blame and responsibility for the offence, and suggests that this organization is based on a first part which is oriented to quotidian precursors to the offence and an immediately following second which isoriented to a sudden shift in the definition of the situation.
Abstract: Theories of sex offending have for several years relied upon the notion of cognitive distortions as an important cause of sexual offending. In this study we critique this notion and suggest that the sort of phenomenon addressed by cognitive distortions is better understood by adopting a discursive psychology approach. In this approach, talk is regarded as occasioned and action oriented. Thus ‘cognitive distortions’ are conceptualized as something people do rather than something that people have. Sessions from a prison-based sex offender treatment programme were taped and transcribed. A discursive psychology analysis was conducted on those sessions relating to offenders' first accounts of their offences. Our analysis suggests that offenders utilize a particular narrative organization to manage their blame and responsibility for the offence. This organization is based on a first part which is oriented to quotidian precursors to the offence and an immediately following second which is oriented to a sudden shift in the definition of the situation. The implications of this analysis are discussed, in relation to the status of cognitive distortions and treatment.
TL;DR: It is suggested that in order to better understand neighbour relationships, social psychologists must explore the way people construct and account for the spaces they interact within.
Abstract: This paper investigates the interactional construction of neighbour relationships in the context of disputational talk. Neighbour dispute data were recorded in two contexts: community mediation and televised documentaries. The data were transcribed and subsequently analysed using an approach that combined ethnomethodological methods with discursive psychology, focusing on participants' orientations to and constructions of spatial categories and place formulations. Three broad themes emerged from our analysis. First, we found that the construction and regulation of normative neighbour relationships were formulated in a discourse of spatial practice. Second, we found that, through complaints about spatial transgressions and ‘good’ and ‘bad’ neighbours, the moral order was reproduced and maintained. Finally, we found that, although participants were oriented to a distinction between ‘private’ and ‘public’ spaces, talk about boundaries revealed the highly contingent nature of spatial division. We suggest that in order to better understand neighbour relationships, social psychologists must explore the way people construct and account for the spaces they interact within.
TL;DR: The present experiment addressed shortcomings in research addressing the influence of happy mood on self-focused attention by inducing mood via musical selections, equalizing the approximate potency between happy and sad moods, and using a within-participants design.
Abstract: Research addressing the influence of happy mood on self-focused attention has yielded inconsistent results. Some studies found that happy mood decreased self-focus relative to sad mood. Other studies did not detect a significant difference between happy and neutral mood, and still other studies found that happy mood, relative to neutral mood, increased self-focus. These investigations have potential shortcomings, such as an insufficiently powerful happy mood induction and a confound between visualization mood inductions and self-focus itself. The present experiment addressed these shortcomings by inducing mood via musical selections, equalizing the approximate potency between happy and sad moods, and using a within-participants design. Relative to neutral mood, happy mood decreased self-focused attention.
TL;DR: Describing such routine (but ultimately grounding) cultural devices can be a central goal of social psychology, as opposed to explaining 'the self' by tacitly relying upon those same devices in an unacknowledged and unproblematized fashion.
Abstract: A central topic for social psychology is how we identify, categorize or represent ourselves to ourselves and to each other. Previous work on this topic stemming from attribution theory, social identity theory, self-categorization theory and social representations theory has tended to accept the dominant cognitivist tenet of an interior self which is (with varying degrees of success) re-presented in ordinary discourse. Against this tradition, and drawing on membership categorization analysis, we argue here for an attention to ordinary members' methods of categorizing the self. Such devices are constitutive of a culture. Accounts of the self (whether lay or professional) cannot avoid reliance on such devices. Our particular case involves a corpus of materials from the press surrounding the Port Arthur massacre: the shooting of 35 people by a lone gunman, Martin Bryant, in Tasmania in 1996. In this case, where public accountings for what 'makes up' a particular person are tied to an otherwise inexplicable but ultra-newsworthy event, we find that lay and professional methods of accounting are remarkably congruent. One of the reasons for this congruence, we suggest, is that the categorization of persons is a fundamentally moral matter. Devices for producing everyday moral accounts, in actual practical circumstances, precede and ground, for example, 'technical', 'clinical' or 'scientific' judgments. We conclude that describing such routine (but ultimately grounding) cultural devices can be a central goal of social psychology, as opposed to explaining 'the self' by tacitly relying upon those same devices in an unacknowledged and unproblematized fashion.
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of social comparison with the marriage of another woman upon mood, identification and relationship evaluation were examined in a sample of 135 women from rural areas, where the comparison target constituted either an upward or a downward comparison, characterized by either high or low effort.
Abstract: This study in a sample of 135 women from rural areas examined the effects of social comparison with the marriage of another woman upon mood, identification and relationship evaluation. The comparison target constituted either an upward or a downward comparison, characterized by either high or low effort. Upward targets evoked a more positive mood, and a less negative mood than downward targets, while, in contrast, the evaluation of one's own relationship was more positive after being exposed to a downward target than after being exposed to an upward target. Upward targets and high-effort targets instilled more identification than downward and low-effort targets. A higher level of marital quality led to less identification with the downward targets and to more identification with the upward targets, particularly with targets who put a high degree of effort in the relationship. Identification mediated the association between marital quality and positive mood following upward comparison. The present study suggests that upward and downward comparison may have effects upon mood that are opposite to those upon self-evaluation, and demonstrates that happily married individuals may through identification with upward targets derive positive affective consequences from exposure to such targets.
TL;DR: Volitional components improved prediction of studying after accounting for past behaviour in the regression models, and were associated with increased studying among participants who perceived a low subjective norm for studying.
Abstract: The role of volitional components specified by personality systems interactions theory in enhancing behavioural prediction was examined in a longitudinal investigation of students' studying. Participants completed measures specified by the theory of planned behaviour and questionnaire measures of 'conscious attention control', 'implicit attention control' and 'self-determination' from the volitional components inventory. Behaviour was assessed 2 weeks later. Regression analyses showed that volitional components increased variance explained in behaviour by 10-18%, after taking into account strength of motivation to study assessed by attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and intention from the theory of planned behaviour. Moreover, consistent with elements of personality systems interactions theory, moderator effects were obtained. Participants who reported self-determination, conscious attention control and implicit attention control were more likely to enact their intentions. Volitional components were also associated with increased studying among participants who perceived a low subjective norm for studying. Volitional components improved prediction of studying after accounting for past behaviour in the regression models.
TL;DR: Results are consistent with the idea that, for specific comparisons between real groups, individual differences in self-esteem may affect the zone within which bias occurs rather than the amount of bias.
Abstract: The present study tests both corollaries of the self-esteem hypothesis from social identity theory derived by Abrams and Hogg (1988). Greek students completed a pre-test collective self-esteem (CSE) measure and then rated Greek students and either American or Turkish students. They then completed a post-test collective self-esteem measure. Inconsistent with Corollary 2, higher prior CSE was associated both with higher in-group ratings and higher out-group ratings, but not with bias. Consistent with Corollary 1, change in CSE was positively associated with bias, positively associated with in-group ratings and negatively associated with out-group ratings. There were no differences due to type of out-group. The findings are consistent with the idea that, for specific comparisons between real groups, individual differences in self-esteem may affect the zone within which bias occurs rather than the amount of bias. However, achieving increases in self-esteem depends on establishing positive distinctiveness for the in-group in the context of a specific intergroup comparison.
TL;DR: This paper explores the implications for social psychology of an integration of classificatory and discursive methodologies through quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses to questions about the threat of violent crime through qualitative and quantitative analysis of interviews.
Abstract: This paper explores the implications for social psychology of an integration of classificatory and discursive methodologies through quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses to questions about the threat of violent crime. A total of 133 adults completed a set of standard questions followed by open-ended prompts enabling elaboration on their responses. Cluster analysis of a set of fear of crime measures distinguished four groups of respondents. Interview transcripts were analysed to identify discourses around crime deployed within each cluster in order to justify risk/anxiety judgments. Four participant positions emerge: the well-protected position, the vigilant position, the tactical risk manager and the besieged position. Further analysis of inconsistency and variability within interviews reveals the interactional discursive processes involved in the construction of criminal threat. Despite the diversity of participant positions available in constructing criminal threat and managing anxiety, discourses revolve centrally around issues of agency and uncontrollability.
TL;DR: It is argued that communication is inherently evaluative and that the self is a 'special case' of evaluation (in terms of moral agency): the self and morality are, therefore, conceptually linked.
Abstract: A case is made for the epistemological and ontological premises of social constructionism against arguments that it is subjectivist. From this, questions about the ‘status’ of the self, and its centrality (or not) to experience, emerge. Arguments for the de-centralization and centralization of the self are discussed, with particular attention to the embodied-embedded quality of the self, from which the spatiotemporal metaphors of ‘positioning’, ‘narrative’ and ‘voicedness’ have arisen. It is argued that communication is inherently evaluative and that the self is a ‘special case’ of evaluation (in terms of moral agency): the self and morality are, therefore, conceptually linked. The concept of a relational self-of-selves is one that, it is argued, emerges from dialogic processes - processes that draw upon these metaphors of embodiment and generate high orders of reflexivity. Thus, social constructionism yields a sophisticated account of self-hood, agency and responsibility.