Review of psychology, Vol. 17 No. 2, 2010.
Original scientific paper
Out of control: How and why does perceived lack of control lead to ethnocentrism?
Dmitrij Agroskin
; University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Social Psychology
Abstract
Recent research on group-based control restoration shows that a low sense of control leads to ingroup bias (Fritsche et al., 2008). The present investigation is an attempt to shed light on the psychological mechanisms that mediate this effect when focusing on ethnocentrism and prejudice towards immigrants as dependent variables, which are varieties of ingroup bias. Based on Rothbaum et al.’s (1982) theorizing on secondary control, need for cognitive closure, right-wing authoritarianism, avoidance of empathy and prejudice towards immigrants were predicted to function as mediators of the effects of different facets of low perceived control on ethnocentrism. An internet study was performed to gauge 227 participants’ perceived lack of control in political and economical domains. Furthermore, participants completed questionnaires concerning the aforementioned mediator variables. Path analysis performed revealed that 51% of the variance in ethnocentrism was explained. In addition, structural equation modelling replicated this pattern of results, additionally showing that prejudice towards immigrants was factorially different from ethnocentrism. Theoretical implications of the results are discussed in light of secondary control theory. Moreover, practical implications in the socio-political domain are presented.
Keywords
ingroup bias; ethnocentrism; prejudice; secondary control; group-based control restoration
Hrčak ID:
70665
URI
Publication date:
7.12.2010.
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