You gotta fight! – Why norm-violations and outgroup criticism lead to confrontational reactions

Lara Ditrich,Adrian Lüders,Eva Jonas,Kai Sassenberg

doi:10.1080/02699931.2021.2002823

Abstract

ABSTRACT Group members frequently face group-related discrepancies, such as other group members violating group norms or outgroup members criticising the ingroup. In response, they often engage in confrontational reactions like expressing disapproval or excluding the person causing the discrepancy. The present work tests the often voiced but rarely studied idea that group-related discrepancies are met with such confrontational responses because discrepancies elicit feelings of threat. Our approach is inspired by research on threat-regulation, which links certain negative emotions to the activation of specific threat-regulatory systems. Three experiments (N total = 680) provide evidence suggesting that group-related discrepancies foster emotions consistent with an activation of the Fight-Flight-Freeze-System (especially anger-related emotions tied to fight-tendencies), emotions consistent with an activation of the Behavioural Inhibition System (i.e. anxiety-related emotions), and confrontational intentions. The effect of discrepancies on confrontational intentions was mediated by heightened anger-related emotions. This supports the idea that confrontational reactions are driven by experienced threat and that these reactions are rightfully called confrontational. We discuss our results in relation to research on ingroup norm-violations, outgroup criticism, and threat perception.

Highlights

Categorising oneself and others into social groups goes along with expectations of how oneself and others should behave
International students might find their group’s image challenged by a politician of the host country who derogates incoming students as unwelcome intruders. Both cases reflect instances of grouprelated discrepancies – expectancy-incongruent experiences that concern individuals due to their group membership. Regardless of their origin, these discrepancies are often met with resistance: The university members mentioned above may try to get rid of the xenophobic representative and the international students may feel compelled to give the politician a piece of their mind
We borrow from research on three interrelated motivational systems involved in regulating approach and avoidance behaviour, namely the Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS), the Behavioural Approach System (BAS), and the Fight-Flight-Freeze-System (FFFS; e.g. Corr et al, 2013; Jonas et al, 2014) and the emotions associated with their activation

Summary

Introduction

Categorising oneself and others into social groups goes along with expectations of how oneself and others should behave. International students might find their group’s image challenged by a politician of the host country who derogates incoming students as unwelcome intruders Both cases reflect instances of grouprelated discrepancies – expectancy-incongruent experiences that concern individuals due to their group membership. An affect-based view on threat as an internal state has largely been absent from research on group-related discrepancies and confrontation so far. Given that such discrepancies can take many forms, we propose that a focus on emotions (i.e. experienced threat) may shed a more general light on the factors motivating confrontation than a focus on threat perceived in one specific situation. Their disruptive force, in turn, has been primarily attributed to such discrepancies being threats (e.g. Abrams et al, 2000)

Methods

Results

Conclusion