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How a terror attack affects right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and their relationship to torture attitudes

Lindén, Magnus LU ; Björklund, Fredrik LU orcid and Bäckström, Martin LU (2018) In Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 59(5). p.547-552
Abstract
Self‐reported level of right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA), the two facets of social dominance orientation (SDO‐Dominance and SDO‐Egalitarianism) and pro‐torture attitudes were measured both in the immediate aftermath (terror salience, N = 152) of the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels and when terrorism was not salient (non‐salience, N = 140). Results showed that RWA and pro‐torture attitudes, but not SDO‐Dominance and SDO‐Egalitarianism, were significantly higher immediately after. Furthermore, RWA and SDO both predicted pro‐torture attitudes more strongly under terror salience. We argue that the reason why RWA is higher under terror salience is a response to external threat, and that SDO‐Dominance may be more clearly related to... (More)
Self‐reported level of right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA), the two facets of social dominance orientation (SDO‐Dominance and SDO‐Egalitarianism) and pro‐torture attitudes were measured both in the immediate aftermath (terror salience, N = 152) of the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels and when terrorism was not salient (non‐salience, N = 140). Results showed that RWA and pro‐torture attitudes, but not SDO‐Dominance and SDO‐Egalitarianism, were significantly higher immediately after. Furthermore, RWA and SDO both predicted pro‐torture attitudes more strongly under terror salience. We argue that the reason why RWA is higher under terror salience is a response to external threat, and that SDO‐Dominance may be more clearly related to acceptance of torture and other human‐rights violations, across context. Future research on the effects of terror‐related events on sociopolitical and pro‐torture attitudes should focus on person‐situation interactions and also attempt to discriminate between trait and state aspects of authoritarianism. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
volume
59
issue
5
pages
547 - 552
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85052740727
  • pmid:29958323
ISSN
1467-9450
DOI
10.1111/sjop.12463
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
3e637488-11e7-4d42-9c81-db128d7dd6a5
date added to LUP
2018-04-20 09:26:38
date last changed
2022-04-25 06:58:42
@article{3e637488-11e7-4d42-9c81-db128d7dd6a5,
  abstract     = {{Self‐reported level of right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA), the two facets of social dominance orientation (SDO‐Dominance and SDO‐Egalitarianism) and pro‐torture attitudes were measured both in the immediate aftermath (terror salience, N = 152) of the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels and when terrorism was not salient (non‐salience, N = 140). Results showed that RWA and pro‐torture attitudes, but not SDO‐Dominance and SDO‐Egalitarianism, were significantly higher immediately after. Furthermore, RWA and SDO both predicted pro‐torture attitudes more strongly under terror salience. We argue that the reason why RWA is higher under terror salience is a response to external threat, and that SDO‐Dominance may be more clearly related to acceptance of torture and other human‐rights violations, across context. Future research on the effects of terror‐related events on sociopolitical and pro‐torture attitudes should focus on person‐situation interactions and also attempt to discriminate between trait and state aspects of authoritarianism.}},
  author       = {{Lindén, Magnus and Björklund, Fredrik and Bäckström, Martin}},
  issn         = {{1467-9450}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{547--552}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Scandinavian Journal of Psychology}},
  title        = {{How a terror attack affects right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and their relationship to torture attitudes}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12463}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/sjop.12463}},
  volume       = {{59}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}