The effects of social vigilantism and masculine honor beliefs on perceptions of confrontation during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

AbstractVarying opinions about the COVID‐19 pandemic inspire different behaviors (e.g., mask‐wearing), and confrontation may result between people with differing viewpoints. Individual differences associated with belief superiority (e.g., Social Vigilantism; SV) and/or pride (e.g., Masculine Honor Beliefs; MHB) likely related to third‐person perceptions of pandemic confrontations. In this study (N = 237; US sample), we used vignettes in a 2 (Mask: Yes/No) × 2(Confrontation Response: Vocal Defense/Walked Away) between‐groups design to examine how SV and MHB predict perceptions of (1) responses to public confrontation about (not) wearing a mask and (2) the person being confronted. In general, mask‐wearing and walking away from confrontation were perceived more positively. Higher SV was associated with more positive perceptions of seemingly morally‐justified responses to confrontation (e.g., walking away when confronted for not wearing a mask, vocally defending oneself when confronted for wearing a mask). Contrarily, higher MHB were associated with more positive perceptions of non‐mask‐wearing. This research provides insight about how individual differences in SV and MHB relate to nuances in pandemic confrontations, and responses to confrontations, about (non)mask‐wearing.