The Influence of Shame/Guilt Proneness on Out-Group Bias

• In Event: Poster Session: Intergroup Dynamics and Tolerance & Representation and Electoral Systems
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Intergroup Dynamics and Tolerance

Abstract

Political cleavages literature acknowledge that when there are two groups that are political rivals, one tends to dislike the other. Indeed, increasing tendency of using “us versus them” rhetoric is concerning for the democratic ideals in the current political climate. Despite the rise of political tribalism, there has also been a growing awareness among some white people about the racial inequality towards other racial groups in the United States. Hence, the notions of the literature contradicts with the actions of those who acknowledge and do something good for the 'other side'. To understand the puzzle outlined above, I investigated how people’s predisposed tendencies (shame and guilt proneness) may explain the variance in out-group bias across people through a survey experiment among white and black people. The results revealed that while shame and guilt proneness are not mutually exclusive, the complex relationship between them requires a better measurement method than what currently most of the research employ. Specifically, there is an interaction between shame and guilt proneness that influences how people respond to information regarding their in-group transgressing against the out-group, particularly a political rival.

Author

• Can Zengin