Group-based Anger Research Articles

"Fuck tha Police": "Conscious" hip-hop increases Black people's group-based anger and collective action intentions.

Historically, hip-hop has highlighted racial injustices experienced by Black people in a White supremacist power structure, as well as promote Black empowerment and activism. Across two experiments, we examined the influence of listening to hip-hop on Black Americans' collective action intentions. We also explored whether the effect of listening to conscious hip-hop on collective action intentions was mediated by group-based anger and/or collective efficacy using the dual-pathway model of collection action (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, Black Americans (n = 122) between the ages of 18- and 34 (Mage = 27.71) were randomly assigned to listen to conscious rap, nonconscious rap, or no music, and afterward they completed a collective action intention measure. In Experiment 2, Black Americans (n = 150; Mage = 26.52) were randomly assigned to listen to conscious rap or nonconscious rap and afterward completed group-based anger, collective efficacy, and collective action intention measures. We found that listening to conscious hip-hop (but not nonconscious hip-hop) increased Black people's intentions to engage in collective action (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, we found that group-based anger, but not collective efficacy, fully mediated the relationship between listening to conscious hip-hop music and collective action. Exposure to some forms of artistic expression may influence emotion focused pathways of dealing with collective disadvantage among groups who are historically disadvantaged. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The effects of self-other overlap and group efficacy on group-based anger and collective action tendency: An online experimental study

Collective emotions and actions represent foundational constructs in social psychology, significantly influencing societal dynamics and responses. Within this framework, the Self-Other Overlap (SOO) - wherein individuals perceive minimal distinction between their own and others' identities - has been identified as an impactful factor at the interpersonal level. However, the extrapolation of SOO's implications at the collective, group level remains an underexplored domain in contemporary research.In addressing this lacuna, the present research endeavors to elucidate the multifaceted implications of SOO on group emotions and actions, contextualized within societal challenges such as “food hygiene problems”. Utilizing validated instruments including the Self-Other Overlap Scale, Group-Based Anger Scale, Collective Action Tendency Scale, and Group Efficacy Scale for Coping Situations, this study adopts a tripartite situational experiment, engaging a collective sample of 359 participants, systematically recruited via the Credamo smart research platform to ensure representativeness.Study 1 examined the potential influence of variable SOO degrees on Group-Based Anger (GA) and Collective Action Tendency (CAT). Study 2 further refined the exploration, discerning the differential impacts of SOO targets on GA and CAT. Conclusively, Study 3 sought to ascertain the potential moderating role of Group Efficacy (GE) within the SOO-GA-CAT relationship.The empirical findings yielded several salient insights: notably, an augmentation in SOO levels corresponded with an amplification of GA and CAT. Furthermore, a delineation in SOO targets, specifically from external to ingroup entities, manifested in a pronounced augmentation of GA and CAT. Intriguingly, while elevated SOO predisposed heightened CAT, the modulatory effect of GE on CAT manifested predominantly in lower SOO contexts.In summation, the present study underscores the pivotal role of SOO magnitude and orientation as determinants of GA and CAT. The nuanced interplay between SOO degree and GE, particularly vis-à-vis CAT, provides a fresh scholarly perspective, contributing to the enriched understanding of group dynamics and collective behavioral paradigms.

Intergroup contact and intended actions in support of disadvantaged groups: The role of affective processes and feelings of solidarity

Intergroup contact is a well-established basis of prejudice reduction. However, less is known about its potential to motivate people to act in support of disadvantaged groups. We investigated the associations of both positive and negative intergroup contact with action intentions for disadvantaged groups among members of ethnic majority groups from different intergroup contexts, including non-WEIRD samples. Furthermore, we tested the role of affective processes and feelings of solidarity as psychological processes explaining these associations. In three cross-sectional studies (total N = 962) from Greece, Thailand, and Turkey, positive and negative contact experiences were associated with, respectively, stronger and weaker intended actions. These associations were particularly pronounced for positive contact. Contact measures were also related to stronger intentions to donate and distribute money in favor of the disadvantaged group (Study 3). A three-wave longitudinal study conducted in the UK (Study 4, N = 603) confirmed the association for positive contact but not for negative contact. Feelings of solidarity emerged as the most consistent mediator, followed by outgroup empathy and, to a lesser extent, group-based anger. Together, these findings show that contact can be an important factor motivating advantaged group members to act in solidarity with disadvantaged groups, and highlight the mediating factors in this process.

Online collective action: Procedural unfairness and action support as predictors based on a dual pathway model

To investigate the social-psychological mechanism of online collective action, we explored the impacts of procedural unfairness and action support in accordance with the dual pathway model of coping with collective disadvantage. Our results indicated that manipulated procedural unfairness and action support independently predicted online collective action intentions in protesting against electrical power restrictions in dormitories during winter for Chinese university students. Procedural unfairness predicted this via emotionfocused coping (group-based anger) but not via problem-focused coping (group efficacy), whereas action support had a facilitative effect via both emotion- and problem-focused coping. Our findings have both theoretical and practical implications for the mobilization, organization, and prevention of and intervention in online collective action.

The different effects of collective narcissism and secure ingroup identity on collective action and life satisfaction among LGBTQ+ individuals

For LGBTQ+ community members, one way to cope with the discrimination they experience is through a stronger ingroup identity. However, not all types of ingroup identity may be equally beneficial to LGBTQ+ individuals. A longitudinal ( N = 1,044) and a cross-sectional ( N = 8,464) study among LGBTQ+ people in Poland demonstrated that collective narcissism was a positive predictor of group-based anger (Study 2) and had a positive reciprocal relationship with group relative deprivation (GRD; Study 1), however, it was negatively related to life satisfaction and exhibited a stronger positive link with nonnormative than normative collective action. Secure LGBTQ+ identification was not longitudinally predicted by GRD (Study 1) and showed a weaker positive association with group-based anger (Study 2). It had a reciprocal positive relationship with life satisfaction and was a stronger predictor of normative than nonnormative collective action. These results show that whereas secure ingroup identity is a clearly positive coping mechanism, the effects of collective narcissism are mixed.

Affective Polarisation and Emotional Distortions on Social Media

AbstractIn this paper I argue that social networking sites (SNSs) are emotion technologies that promote a highly charged emotional environment where intrinsic emotion regulation is significantly weakened, and people's emotions are more strongly modulated by other people and by the technology itself. I show that these features of social media promote a simplistic emotional outlook which is an obstacle to the development and maintenance of virtue. In addition, I focus on the mechanisms that promote group-based anger and thus give rise to affective polarisation. In the final section, after a discussion of the positive value of some forms of anger, I argue that SNSs should not be designed to prohibit or suppress anger, but that its encouragement should also be avoided. I conclude with a suggestion about how this might be achieved.

Applying the Dynamic Dual Pathway Model of Approach Coping to Collective Action Among Advantaged Group Allies and Disadvantaged Group Members.

We apply the dynamic dual pathway model of approach coping to understanding the predictors of future collective action among a sample of advantaged group allies and disadvantaged group members who were attending a protest. We propose that problem-focused approach coping (i.e., group efficacy beliefs) would be a stronger predictor of future collective action among disadvantaged compared to advantaged group members, and emotion-focused approach coping (i.e., group-based anger) would be a stronger predictor of future collective action among advantaged compared to disadvantaged group members. Data was collected from LGBTIQ+ and heterosexual people (N = 189) protesting as part of the 2019 Christopher Street Day Parade in Cologne, Germany. We found that increased group efficacy predicted intentions to engage in future collective action for the rights of sexual minorities among LGBTIQ+ but not heterosexual participants. Increased group-based anger was a predictor of future collective action intentions regardless of which group the participants belonged to. Our findings extend the dynamic dual pathway model by applying it to a sample of advantaged group allies and disadvantaged group members attending a protest using a multiple perspectives approach.

“Sorry for Congo, Let’s Make Amends”: Belgians’ Ideological Worldviews Predict Attitudes Towards Apology and Reparation for its Colonial Past

In light of the recent steps Belgium has made towards reconciling with its colonial history in Congo (e.g., the King’s letter of regret, and the removal of some colonial statues), we examined how Belgians differ in their attitudes towards an official apology, towards (symbolic) reparations (e.g., renaming streets), and towards raising more awareness about the colonial past (e.g., more detailed information in educational books) as a function of their ideological worldviews. We hypothesized that authoritarianism and group dominance would negatively predict these outcome variables, while particularly universal-diverse orientation and egalitarianism would predict them positively. We further hypothesized that these relations would be mediated by relevant intergroup emotions (i.e., group-based guilt, shame, and anger, and especially outgroup empathy). Path model analyses on a sample of 258 Flemish-speaking students provided support for our predictions: (1) universal-diverse orientation was the strongest predictor of all intergroup emotions, (2) empathy—and to a lesser extent group-based anger—were the strongest direct predictors of attitudes towards apologizing, reparation, and awareness, and (3) empathy was the most important mediator explaining the associations of universal-diverse and egalitarian orientations with the outcomes. We discuss the implications of our findings for the current debate regarding reconciliation between groups with a history of colonialism.

White Apathy and Allyship in Uncivil Racial Social Media Comments

ABSTRACT Given the pervasiveness of racist online comments, it is important to determine what factors motivate White audiences to take actions for racial justice. We utilize and expand on the defensive effect, which proposes that uncivil online comments can mobilize action, by focusing on social identities and group-based emotions. By manipulating the race of a person tweeting in support of racial justice protests and the civility of the racist response, we find that uncivil replies lead to increased feelings of group-based anger, which is associated with willingness to respond to the comment online and take political action for racial equality. These findings highlight the mobilizing influence that anger, as opposed to other emotions, can have on White bystanders witnessing racist incivility within social media environments.

An Examination of the Social Identity Model of Collective Action in the Context of Vietnam

Introduction: Although collective action relating to land and environmental disputes in Vietnam has been increasing over the past decades, there is little research from the perspective of social psychology on this topic. Objective: This study was conducted to examine the applicability of the social identity model of collective action [SIMCA] in the context of Vietnam. Specifically, we assessed the predictive powers of moral conviction, politicized identity, group-based anger, and group efficacy on people’s intentions to engage in collective action in a situation where people from three communes of Hanoi blocked garbage trucks to enter a waste treatment complex located in this area. Methods: The participants were 132 residents from these communes. We collected the data by a self-report survey and then executed regression and path analyses to test our hypotheses. Results and Discussion: The results indicated that, except for group efficacy, variables in SIMCA were capable of independently predicting intentions to participate in collective action. Also, politicized identity had directly and indirectly positive effects on collective action intentions through group-based anger but not group efficacy. Politicized identity and group-based anger played partial mediating roles in the relationship between moral conviction and collective action intentions. Conclusion: These findings partly supporting the proposed SIMCA demonstrated the impacts of Vietnam's unique cultural and political characteristics on individuals' engagement in collective action relating to land and environmental disputes between people and their local authorities.

The role of Muslim identity in predicting violent behavioural intentions to defend Muslims

A sense of shared Muslim suffering seems to play a key role in uniting Muslims around the world. Therefore, in the current paper we hypothesized that the social psychological underpinnings of Islamist extremism would be similar for Muslims living in the West and Muslims living in countries with prolonged and ongoing exposure to Western-led military interventions. Across 4 studies among Muslims in Pakistan and Afghanistan ( Ns = 425, 402, and 127) and Muslims living in 20 Western countries ( N = 366), we examined a path model in which group-based anger mediated the link between Muslim identification, perceived injustice of Western military and foreign policy, and violent behaviour intentions. Our results indicate that regardless of whether Muslims live in places with prolonged and ongoing experience of Western military interventions or not, the social psychological factors predicting violent Islamist extremism appear to be similar. We discuss implications for future theory and research.

Being moved by protest: Collective efficacy beliefs and injustice appraisals enhance collective action intentions for forest protection via positive and negative emotions

Based on collective action theories and appraisal theories of emotion, we propose that people are moved and positively overwhelmed by the idea that together they can make a difference for a more sustainable future and that these feelings motivate them to participate in pro-environmental collective action. We surveyed activists and sympathizers of a forest protection campaign (Study 1, N = 210) and conducted an experiment (Study 2, N = 221) to test this claim. As expected, feelings of being moved mediated the effect of collective efficacy beliefs on collective action intentions in both studies. Hence, being moved constitutes a second emotional path to collective action alongside group-based anger. These two emotional paths differently elicited the goal to punish authorities (intergroup goal), to be part of the movement (intragroup goal), and to reduce climate change (ideological goal). The findings suggest that negative and positive emotions (anger and being moved) amplify already existing motivations.

Why tourists engage in online collective actions in times of crisis: Exploring the role of group relative deprivation

Abstract Social media platforms empower tourists to engage in secondary crisis communication and even take collective action against destinations. Such online actions result in challenges for tourism destinations related to crisis management and image restoration, especially for human-induced tourism crises caused internally by managerial or institutional faults. Based on the theory of relative deprivation and examining the reputation crisis of Snow Town as a case, this study aims to understand the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral mechanisms of tourists’ secondary crisis communications. The results show that group relative deprivation perceived by tourists can elicit their group-based anger and distrust toward the destination and can also lead to online collective action and offline behavioral intentions (here, negative travel intention). Additionally, the results show a reverse influence of aim-oriented and behavior-oriented online collective actions on travel intentions and that aim-oriented actions positively mediate anger and travel intentions. This study provides new insights into how a personal incident evolves to become a tourism crisis during social-media communications and discusses managerial implications for crisis management and post-crisis marketing.

Predicting collective action tendencies among Filipina domestic workers in Lebanon: Integrating the Social Identity Model of Collective Action and the role of fear

This study examined factors underlying collective action tendencies in a context of severe disadvantage and high repression. Drawing on the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (SIMCA; van Zomeren, Postmes, & Spears, 2008), we tested the roles of group-based anger, participative efficacy, group identity—SIMCA variables—but also fear. Although SIMCA has been widely used in various social contexts, little is known about how well it applies to severely disadvantaged groups in highly repressive situations. In the study of female Filipina domestic workers ( N = 123) in Beirut, Lebanon, results provided partial support for SIMCA, such that identity indirectly and positively predicted collective action intentions via efficacy, but not anger. Importantly, fear modulated the paths from anger and efficacy to collective action intentions. Efficacy and anger positively predicted collective action tendencies among individuals low, but not high, in fear. These findings attest to the importance of studying political actions among underrepresented populations.

When and How Negative News Coverage Empowers Collective Action in Minorities

Minorities often express dissatisfaction and frustration with media depictions of their ingroup motivating them to engage in strategies that can restore a positive group identity. Based on the dual model of collective action and relying on two studies, we examined if exposure to negative news media can motivate collective action among Muslim Americans through increases in collective efficacy and group-based anger. Data from a four-wave longitudinal survey revealed that Time 1 self-reported exposure to negative news about Muslims increased Time 4 collective action intentions through increases in Time 3 efficacy, but not anger. Experimental results revealed that perceived news accuracy moderates these effects. Specifically, exposure to negative news about one’s ingroup motivates collective action when the news is perceived as biased but dampens these efforts if perceived to be accurate. These findings reveal how and under what conditions exposure to negative news coverage can lead to collective action among minorities.

Rumination about discrimination mediates the unique association between anger and collective action intentions

People are more willing to engage in collective action when they feel anger about collective disadvantage (van Zomeren, Postmes, & Spears, 2008). However, anger is often a fleeting emotion, whereas collective action is deliberate and sustained. Moreover, people cannot always engage in collective action on demand. We propose that rumination, or repetitive thoughts about negative emotions and experiences, may constitute a mechanism by which anger about collective disadvantage is sustained, and through it the motivation to engage in collective action. In three separate samples (128 students of color, 155 women, and 150 sexual minorities), we measured group-based anger about discrimination, group efficacy, group identification, rumination about discrimination, and collective action intentions. In all samples, rumination mediated the unique association between group-based anger and collective action intentions, controlling for group efficacy and group identification. Further, in an experimental study with 117 undergraduate women, we found that rumination, compared to distraction, sustained anger about collective disadvantage over a short period of time, and this sustained level of anger mediated the relationship between rumination and collective action intentions. These results lend support to conceptualizing collective action as a form of coping with collective disadvantage, and highlight the potential role of emotion regulation strategies like rumination in understanding intergroup relations.

From Gaze to Outrage: The Role of Group-Based Anger in Mediating the Relationship between Sexual Objectification and Collective Action

Numerous studies have demonstrated the harmful effects of sexual objectification on well-being. However, despite the rapid growth of the #MeToo movement, which has raised public awareness about sexual harassment, there has been much less research investigating the role of sexually objectifying behaviours in motivating people to try to tackle this issue through collective action (e.g., signing petitions, engaging in protests) and the process through which this occurs. Across two studies, we tested whether experiencing sexually objectifying behaviours motivates women to be willing to engage in collective action against sexual objectification via feelings of anger toward women being the target of such actions (i.e., group-based anger). In Studies 1 (n = 127) and 2 (n = 159), female participants rated the extent to which they had been the target of sexually objectifying behaviours, their feelings of group-based anger, and their willingness to engage in collective action against sexual objectification. We found that sexual objectification positively predicted the willingness to engage in collective action and that this relationship was mediated by feelings of group-based anger. This pattern suggests that experiencing numerous instances of sexual objectification is likely to result in women feeling group-based anger and that this anger, in turn, promotes collective action against sexual objectification. Therefore, our research demonstrates one process through which sexual objectification promotes a willingness to engage in collective action.

Social Class, Group-Based Anger, and Collective Action Intentions in China

This research examines the anger and collective action intentions among different social classes in China. Based on social cognition theory with respect to social class, we proposed that the relationship between group-based anger and collective action intentions would be moderated by social class. To test this hypothesis, two studies were conducted. First, using data collected from a sample of 100 residents of Hubei Province, China, Study 1 found that the relationship between group-based anger and collective action intentions was moderated by social class: group-based anger can predict collective action intentions among the upper social class but not among the lower social class. Then, Study 2 employed a 2 × 2 completely randomised design. Its 118 participants were manipulated to experience a momentary change in their subjective social class and the level of their group-based anger before measuring their collective action intentions. The results were consistent with Study 1. Taken together, the findings suggest that social class does moderate the relationship between group-based anger and collective action intentions.

Is Hatred Really the Main Emotional Source of Political Intolerance?

An important paper (Halperin, Canetti-Nisim, & Hirsch-Hoefler, 2009) brings emotion squarely into the study of political intolerance, finding that: (1) hatred of outgroups, but not anger or fear, leads directly to intolerance; (2) group-based anger and fear influence intolerance but through the mediation of hatred; and (3) hatred has a markedly stronger influence among the unsophisticated. These conclusions challenge much of the conventional wisdom in the study of intolerance. Yet we suspect that the findings may primarily be a function of the context of the study: Israel, a deeply divided society where intergroup hatred likely plays an outsized role in political life. Using a large representative sample of the American population, we re-examine the influence of emotion and sophistication on intolerance. Our findings differ dramatically and in nearly every respect from those of Halperin, Canetti-Nisim & Hirsch-Hoefler. Hatred is indeed associated with intolerance, but only quite modestly, and no more so than are anger or fear; emotions play a less significant role than traditional predictors of intolerance; finally, we find that the effects of emotion on intolerance are not consistently stronger among the unsophisticated. All of these findings speak to the role political contexts play in structuring mass political intolerance.

When does the communication of group-based anger increase outgroup empathy in intergroup conflict? The role of perceived procedural unfairness and outgroup consensus

Increasing outgroup empathy is an important first step toward reducing intergroup conflict. The communication of group-based anger has been found to increase outgroup empathy due to its presumed relational function (as it signals to the outgroup that they unfairly treat the ingroup, but also that the ingroup wants to maintain a positive intergroup relationship). Yet, little is known about when communicating group-based anger increases outgroup empathy. We therefore examine two antecedent conditions, namely perceived procedural unfairness (which makes the communication of anger more appropriate) and outgroup consensus (which makes the communication of anger more group-based). Three experiments suggest that the communication of group-based anger increases outgroup empathy only when the outgroup was treated unfairly (Experiment 1) and when there was high outgroup consensus (Experiment 2). Results from Experiment 3 revealed that either antecedent seems sufficient to facilitate the positive, empathy-inducing effects of the communication of group-based anger. We discuss the implications of these findings for the theory and practice of communicating anger in intergroup conflicts to increase outgroup empathy.