Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Minority activists benefit from the support of those advantaged in a system of inequality to alter the status quo. However, previous research suggests that members of advantaged groups often engage...Show moreMinority activists benefit from the support of those advantaged in a system of inequality to alter the status quo. However, previous research suggests that members of advantaged groups often engage in solidarity activism to bolster the moral image of their ingroup. We theorised that taking the moral high ground can be its own antecedent of collective action behaviour. In two studies, we investigated the role of group-based moral superiority in motivating collective action behaviour of solidarity activists in the Black Lives Matter movement. In Study 1 (n = 218) we examined the relationship between group-based moral superiority and both collective action intentions and activism persistence above and beyond traditional measures of collective action (i.e., SIMCA, Van Zomeren et al., 2008, 2012). In Study 2 (n = 209) we then manipulated group-based moral superiority experimentally to test whether higher levels of group-based moral superiority lead to increased collective action behaviour. Across both studies, we found support that group-based moral superiority plays an indirect role in increasing collective action intentions through stronger politicised group identification. The same indirect relationship was found for activism persistence in Study 1 but was not replicated in Study 2. We discuss implications of our findings for theory, future research directions, and practical aspects of collective action.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
closed access
Humans regularly face collective problems calling for cooperation. To solve such problems, people can establish public goods that require contributions from individual members and benefit the whole...Show moreHumans regularly face collective problems calling for cooperation. To solve such problems, people can establish public goods that require contributions from individual members and benefit the whole group, e.g. public health care and infrastructure. It has been suggested that in modern society people have become less dependent on the creation of public goods and more able to solve problems individually (Santos, Varnum, & Grossmann, 2017). Nevertheless, solving shared problems individually is tied to resources that are often unequally distributed between people. Inequality (Zelmer, 2003) and individualism (Gross & De Dreu, 2019) can complicate cooperation, however, their interplay is largely unknown. We confronted 50 groups (N = 200) with a public goods game with the additional option to solve a shared problem individually through a private solution. Across groups, group members had either an equal or an unequal resource distribution. The private solution allowed wealthier group members to leave the group and avoid contributing to the public good. This resulted in increased inequality. Specifically, the easier it was to opt for a private solution, the higher the inequality was. We further investigated voting preferences and fairness perceptions by having sixty-one impartial raters complete the task from a third-party perspective. The third-party players preferred a more equitable solution that would result in lower inequality. While group members dependent on the public solution voted for delegating allocation decisions to the third party, the wealthier, and thus, more independent members voted against it revealing self-serving motives. Our findings highlight unique problems emerging with self-reliance in the face of global issues, such as a pandemic and global warming, that require cooperation. Especially, when self-reliance is only affordable for some, collective action can fail and further increase wealth gaps.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
closed access
As the negative consequences of debts are substantial, it is important that indebted people seek and accept help. However, people in debt are often reluctant to contact the creditor and identify...Show moreAs the negative consequences of debts are substantial, it is important that indebted people seek and accept help. However, people in debt are often reluctant to contact the creditor and identify shame as a barrier. Moreover, they experience a lack of acknowledgement when communicating with creditors. Given the human need for acknowledgement and the suggestion that acknowledgement can reduce shame, the current study examined the effect of acknowledgement on indebted people’s willingness to contact the creditor and explored the role of financial shame. To this end, 206 native English-speaking people with current or past debts completed an online experiment in which they read either a standard creditor letter or a creditor letter in which the creditor acknowledged the situation of the person in debt. Willingness to contact the creditor and financial shame did not differ between participants who read a creditor letter in which their situations were acknowledged and those whose read a standard creditor letter. However, higher financial shame was associated with lower willingness to contact. We conclude that acknowledging indebted people’s situations is not enough to increase their willingness to contact the creditor. Future research could test other ways to address and reduce the financial shame.Show less
