TY - JOUR
T1 - Retaliation against the outgroup
T2 - The role of self-uncertainty
AU - Niedbala, Elizabeth M.
AU - Hohman, Zachary P.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2019/8/1
Y1 - 2019/8/1
N2 - Outgroups who threaten the core aspects of one’s identity, such as one’s social group and its values, may make group members feel self-uncertain. Because past research associates uncertainty with defensive behavior, we propose that self-uncertainty will drive aggressive retaliation against a threatening outgroup. Two experiments tested the role of self-uncertainty in retaliation motivation. In Experiment 1, university students were threatened by their school rival and then reported self-uncertainty and willingness to retaliate. The threat evoked anger and caused male group members to feel significantly more self-uncertain, which was associated with significantly greater retaliation motivation. In Experiment 2, we manipulated Americans’ feelings of self-uncertainty and threat from a terrorist group, ISIS. Uncertain males were significantly more willing to retaliate against ISIS after threats that caused anger and fear. For male group members, outgroup threat increases self-uncertainty, which then motivates them to be more willing to violently retaliate.
AB - Outgroups who threaten the core aspects of one’s identity, such as one’s social group and its values, may make group members feel self-uncertain. Because past research associates uncertainty with defensive behavior, we propose that self-uncertainty will drive aggressive retaliation against a threatening outgroup. Two experiments tested the role of self-uncertainty in retaliation motivation. In Experiment 1, university students were threatened by their school rival and then reported self-uncertainty and willingness to retaliate. The threat evoked anger and caused male group members to feel significantly more self-uncertain, which was associated with significantly greater retaliation motivation. In Experiment 2, we manipulated Americans’ feelings of self-uncertainty and threat from a terrorist group, ISIS. Uncertain males were significantly more willing to retaliate against ISIS after threats that caused anger and fear. For male group members, outgroup threat increases self-uncertainty, which then motivates them to be more willing to violently retaliate.
KW - intergroup emotions
KW - intergroup relations
KW - retaliation
KW - self-uncertainty
KW - threat
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85046751393&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1368430218767027
DO - 10.1177/1368430218767027
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85046751393
SN - 1368-4302
VL - 22
SP - 708
EP - 723
JO - Group Processes and Intergroup Relations
JF - Group Processes and Intergroup Relations
IS - 5
ER -