Advancing support for intergroup equality via a self-affirmation campaign

Abstract

Members of historically advantaged groups are often unwilling to support actions or policies aimed at reducing inequality between advantaged and disadvantaged groups, even if they generally support the principle of equality. Based on past research, we suggest a self-affirmation intervention (an intervention in which people reflect on a positive trait or value in order to affirm their positive self-image) may be effective for increasing the willingness of advantaged group members to address inequality. Importantly, while self-affirmation has been only operationalized as a written exercise in the past, in this project, we adapt it into video messages for use in public campaigns. In Study 1, we experimentally tested an initial video adaptation of self-affirmation and found that it was effective in increasing the willingness of advantaged group members to address inequality in the context of Jewish–Arab relations in Israel. Based on this study, two NGOs developed a real campaign video and used it in their public campaign, and we tested this applied intervention (in Study 2) and found it to be effective compared to a control condition that only presented information about inequality. Together, these studies represent the first implementation of self-affirmation in real-world campaigns and indicate that it can be an effective way to increase support for action to address inequality.

It’s a problem, but not mine: Exploring bias-related message acceptance among teachers

“…As self-affirmation manipulations require a degree of engagement on the part of the participant, it is possible that the online environment for the manipulation was not suitable. Recent research has indicated that modes of self-affirmation such as watching videos (Shuman et al, 2022) or creating computer passwords that encourage reflection about the embodiment of personal values (Li et al, 2022) could be engaging and effective, so future research could employ these modes in the context of educational bias. Moreover, self-affirmation manipulations tend to work best when the affirmed value is in a different domain to the one under threat, as this enables the individual to see that their self-worth is not entirely contingent on their evaluation of the immediate situation (Sherman & Cohen, 2006).…”

Beyond personal emotions: How emotion norms shape policy support in the context of violent conflict.

“…Israel, for example, has been systematically implementing policies of territorial dispossession and expulsion of Palestinians (B’Tselem, 2017a), of militarized aggression (B’Tselem, 2017b), as well as security-related policies ostensibly aimed at stifling Palestinian violence and dissent (B’Tselem, 2017c). Some Israelis, however, have been opposing these policies and instead have advocated for more inclusive solutions, such as through policies of reparation (see, e.g., Halperin et al, 2014) and humanitarian action (see, e.g., Shulman et al, 2021), as well as equality-promoting policies (see, e.g., Shuman et al, 2023). Understanding psychological factors that shape people’s support for these different types of conflict-related policies has been a long-standing aim of the psychological studies of intergroup conflicts.…”

Facing discomfort: Avoided negative affect shapes the acknowledgment of systemic racism.

“…From an emotion and emotion regulation theoretical perspective, White fragility includes (a) the negative emotions White people experience when they realize that they themselves play a role in racism, which is at odds with their goal of being a good person, and (b) the wish to downregulate these negative emotions by disengaging in conversations or situations surrounding race (Ford et al, 2022). For example, White people may endorse a colorblind approach (Lewis, 2004; Phillips & Lowery, 2018) or minimize, distance themselves from, or even deny the prevalence of racism (Ford et al, 2022; Knowles et al, 2014; Shuman et al, 2023). This disengagement from discussions around race as a result of White fragility is a barrier to systemic change (Ford et al, 2022).…”