Namkje Koudenburg, Jolanda Jetten, Karalyn F. Enz, S. Alexander Haslam
Many lay people believe that the best way to develop a clear sense of ‘who you are’ is to shut yourself off from others and engage in introspection. Increasingly, however, empirical evidence points to the social aspects of identities and identity development. Building on this, we argue that a strong sense of personal identity is more likely to be derived from meaningful social interaction. More specifically, we argue that when communication allows people to develop a sense of shared identity, it can also promote a sense of personal self. Consistent with this hypothesis, evidence from three experiments indicates that social interaction indirectly enhances people's self-concept clarity and personal identity strength, through an increased experience of shared identity and social validation. This suggests that a sense of ‘me’ is not formed independently of others but also through the experience of ‘we’ in interaction.
{"title":"The social grounds of personal self: Interactions that build a sense of ‘we’ help clarify who ‘I’ am","authors":"Namkje Koudenburg, Jolanda Jetten, Karalyn F. Enz, S. Alexander Haslam","doi":"10.1002/ejsp.3070","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ejsp.3070","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Many lay people believe that the best way to develop a clear sense of ‘who you are’ is to shut yourself off from others and engage in introspection. Increasingly, however, empirical evidence points to the social aspects of identities and identity development. Building on this, we argue that a strong sense of personal identity is more likely to be derived from meaningful social interaction. More specifically, we argue that when communication allows people to develop a sense of shared identity, it can also promote a sense of personal self. Consistent with this hypothesis, evidence from three experiments indicates that social interaction indirectly enhances people's self-concept clarity and personal identity strength, through an increased experience of shared identity and social validation. This suggests that a sense of ‘me’ is not formed independently of others but also through the experience of ‘we’ in interaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":48377,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Social Psychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ejsp.3070","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140941285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Despite the widespread use of face masks to combat COVID-19, little is known about their immediate and delayed social consequences. To understand short- and long-term effects of face masks on interpersonal perception, we measured the evaluation of faces with and without masks at four time points—June 2020, January 2021, September 2021 and June 2022—from the early months of the pandemic in North America to the more recent, and from the implementation of mask mandates to the end of these requirements. Surprisingly, we found that, in general, faces with masks were perceived as more competent, warm, trustworthy, considerate and attractive, but less dominant and anxious than faces without masks. Moreover, differences in attributions of dominance, trustworthiness and warmth between faces with and without masks increased in a linear trend from June 2020 to June 2022. Notably, the impact of masks on perceptions of competence, considerateness, attractiveness and anxiousness did not change over time. We discuss how mask mandates can alter people's social perceptions of others who wear masks compared to those who do not wear masks and how these mandates may influence attributions of some traits more than others through mere exposure and/or social norms.
{"title":"Changing perceptions of people wearing masks: Two years of living in a pandemic","authors":"Xia Fang, Kerry Kawakami","doi":"10.1002/ejsp.3069","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ejsp.3069","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Despite the widespread use of face masks to combat COVID-19, little is known about their immediate and delayed social consequences. To understand short- and long-term effects of face masks on interpersonal perception, we measured the evaluation of faces with and without masks at four time points—June 2020, January 2021, September 2021 and June 2022—from the early months of the pandemic in North America to the more recent, and from the implementation of mask mandates to the end of these requirements. Surprisingly, we found that, in general, faces with masks were perceived as more competent, warm, trustworthy, considerate and attractive, but less dominant and anxious than faces without masks. Moreover, differences in attributions of dominance, trustworthiness and warmth between faces with and without masks increased in a linear trend from June 2020 to June 2022. Notably, the impact of masks on perceptions of competence, considerateness, attractiveness and anxiousness did not change over time. We discuss how mask mandates can alter people's social perceptions of others who wear masks compared to those who do not wear masks and how these mandates may influence attributions of some traits more than others through mere exposure and/or social norms.</p>","PeriodicalId":48377,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Social Psychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140658019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This Special Issue editorial explores perspectives on intergroup reconciliation and its underlying processes in post-conflict societies, emphasizing the importance of four key themes: 1) victimhood, 2) acknowledgment, 3) forgiveness, and 4) intergroup contact. After presenting the state of the art in reconciliation research, we present the individual contributions in this Special Issue, and we link them to the four key themes. We end this editorial by setting out an agenda for future research, underscoring the timeliness and relevance of reconciliation efforts in today's world. By offering insights into evidence-based interventions and practical strategies for promoting positive intergroup relations, this Special Issue hopes to contribute to the broader discourse on peacebuilding and social cohesion in post-conflict societies.
{"title":"‘It always seems impossible, until it is done’: Perspectives on reconciliation and its underlying processes in post-conflict societies","authors":"Tijana Karić, Jasper Van Assche, Hermann Swart","doi":"10.1002/ejsp.3066","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ejsp.3066","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This Special Issue editorial explores perspectives on intergroup reconciliation and its underlying processes in post-conflict societies, emphasizing the importance of four key themes: 1) victimhood, 2) acknowledgment, 3) forgiveness, and 4) intergroup contact. After presenting the state of the art in reconciliation research, we present the individual contributions in this Special Issue, and we link them to the four key themes. We end this editorial by setting out an agenda for future research, underscoring the timeliness and relevance of reconciliation efforts in today's world. By offering insights into evidence-based interventions and practical strategies for promoting positive intergroup relations, this Special Issue hopes to contribute to the broader discourse on peacebuilding and social cohesion in post-conflict societies.</p>","PeriodicalId":48377,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Social Psychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140628195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Scholars pay great attention to sociopsychological factors that predict attitudes toward military action, but they rarely address personality variables. The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between the Dark Triad traits, general moral disengagement, and military attitudes. We conducted three surveys between May and November 2022 in three samples of Russian residents (N = 736, 795, and 752). The results showed that the Dark Triad was only marginally related to attitudes toward military action abroad, but emerged as a consistent positive predictor of support for violence against civilians with psychopathy showing the strongest effect. Moreover, this relationship was mediated by moral disengagement. At the same time, Big Five traits and sociopsychological variables predicted the attitudes toward military action, but were generally unrelated to the attitudes toward violence against civilians. The findings suggest the existence of distinct pathways underlying the support of general military action and unethical military action.
{"title":"Dark Triad and the attitude toward military violence against civilians: The role of moral disengagement","authors":"Olga Gulevich, Evgeny Osin, Daniil Chernov","doi":"10.1002/ejsp.3067","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ejsp.3067","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Scholars pay great attention to sociopsychological factors that predict attitudes toward military action, but they rarely address personality variables. The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between the Dark Triad traits, general moral disengagement, and military attitudes. We conducted three surveys between May and November 2022 in three samples of Russian residents (N = 736, 795, and 752). The results showed that the Dark Triad was only marginally related to attitudes toward military action abroad, but emerged as a consistent positive predictor of support for violence against civilians with psychopathy showing the strongest effect. Moreover, this relationship was mediated by moral disengagement. At the same time, Big Five traits and sociopsychological variables predicted the attitudes toward military action, but were generally unrelated to the attitudes toward violence against civilians. The findings suggest the existence of distinct pathways underlying the support of general military action and unethical military action.</p>","PeriodicalId":48377,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Social Psychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140571826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}