The direct and indirect effects of social rejection during school years on social dominance orientation

Social dominance orientation (SDO) refers to the degree to which people support the superiority of an ingroup over outgroups and oppose equality. It has been consistently found to be a strong predictor of negative attitudes toward disadvantaged groups. Therefore, understanding the factors that predict SDO might be the first step in reducing negative attitudes toward these groups and promoting equality. The purpose of this study is to examine whether childhood experiences of being a victim of social rejection can predict SDO in adulthood. An additional goal is to examine whether empathic concern and resilience can mediate this association. Using a quantitative method, a questionnaire that tested social rejection during school years, SDO, empathic concern, and resilience was administered to 589 Israeli adults. In accordance with the hypotheses, social rejection was found to be a predictor of SDO after adjusting for gender and religion, mediated by empathic concern and resilience. The findings of the current study contribute to social dominance theory since they demonstrate for the first time that social rejection at school has direct and indirect effects on SDO through empathic concern and resilience.