Joseph Sweetman
Biographic Data
| ID | 4395649 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Joseph Sweetman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Joseph |
| FAMILY NAME | Sweetman |
| SIGNATURE | SWEETMAN J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Exeter |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2829-1503 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 94 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Stimulus-category confounds reduce, but do not explain, different roles of intent across moral domains
Who cares about groups? The Group Orientation Scale measures differences in the general motivation for group belonging and concern for group goals
Group and intergroup research often addresses the ways in which people care about a specific group but focuses less on caring about groups in general. Here, we investigate individual differences in how likely people are to join and invest in the groups to which they belong. This idea is related to collectivism, but collectivism measures have been plagued by theoretical and measurement weaknesses. We therefore developed a Group Orientation Scale a…
Dilemmas of resistance
A major theme in social psychological models of collective action is that shared social identity is a critical foundation for resistance and collective action. In this review, we suggest that this foundational role of social identity can be double edged for many minority groups because material disadvantage is often coupled with the historical erosion of key aspects of ingroup culture and identity. Focusing on the role of ingroup language in Wels…
How group members appraise collective history
Group members’ appraisals of their in-group’s collective history have been found to shape their engagement with the in-group and its collective goals. We add to this research by examining the complexity and dimensionality of how group members appraise collective history, and how different forms of appraisals relate to different forms of in-group engagement. We do so by (1) outlining four key dimensions – richness, clarity, valence and subjective …
From Social Dominance Orientation to Political Engagement
In three surveys of adults in five nations, we investigated how shared beliefs about the political system motivate individuals' political engagement. Specifically, we tested whether individuals' beliefs that the political context is fair, noncorrupt, and their belief that they could influence politics motivates political engagement to a higher extent for higher‐ compared to lower‐status group members. In a novel use of social dominance theory, we…
Conflict, what conflict? Evidence that playing down “conflict” can be a weapon of choice for high‐status groups
Three studies using pre‐existing (Studies 1 and 3) and minimal (Study 2) groups tested the hypothesis that ingroup status shapes whether “conflict’” with an outgroup is strategically acknowledged or downplayed. As predicted, high (vs. low) ingroup status led group members to downplay conflict, but only to an outgroup rather than ingroup audience (Studies 1 and 2; N s = 127 & 292), and only when the status difference was unstable (vs. stable) and …
Subjective status and perceived legitimacy across countries
The relationships between subjective status and perceived legitimacy are important for understanding the extent to which people with low status are complicit in their oppression. We use novel data from 66 samples and 30 countries ( N = 12,788) and find that people with higher status see the social system as more legitimate than those with lower status, but there is variation across people and countries. The association between subjective status a…
Attitude toward protest uniquely predicts (normative and nonnormative) political action by (advantaged and disadvantaged) group members
We find evidence that explicit (but not implicit) measures of general attitude towards protest uniquely predict normative and nonnormative political action tendencies, and behavior, over and above extant models of political action. Protest attitude uniquely predicts both the political action tendencies of members of disadvantaged groups and willingness to engage in solidarity-based action on behalf of such groups. Furthermore, we find some eviden…
Scholarship and Activism Diverge
In this introduction to the special issue, we examine the rift between psychological scholarship on race and racism in the academy and the critical theories embraced by activists and other social sciences. While Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) called on psychologists to “tell it like it is” by illuminating the reality of oppression and racism in its many forms, very little work in the (ideological) psychological literatures has examined this diversi…
When Similarities are More Important than Differences
Employing survey data from the largest (known) sample of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic staff in British higher and further education, I respond to King's call to examine minority leadership within trade unions. Drawing on theoretical insights from the psychology of social movements, I examine how perceptions/experiences of racism, exclusion, bullying, and barriers to promotion impact on minority union leadership through different types of uni…
International support for the Arab uprisings
Inspired by the popular Arab protests against oppressive regimes that began in 2010, people around the world protested in sympathy with the Arab peoples. The present research draws on two major theories of intergroup relations to develop an initial integrative model of sympathetic collective action. We incorporate social dominance theory’s (SDT) concept of (rejectionist) legitimizing myths with the solidarity and emotional mediation concept of th…
We have no quarrel with you”
In three studies, we examined the effect of intergroup status on group members' tendencies to characterize the ingroup's relationship with an outgroup as conflictual following outgroup action. Findings from all three studies supported the prediction that the intergroup relationship would be characterized as less conflictual when the ingroup had relatively high rather than low status. Consistent with the hypothesis that the effect of status reflec…
Social Dominance in Context and in Individuals
We tested the internal reliability and predictive validity of a new 4-item Short Social Dominance Orientation (SSDO) scale among adults in 20 countries, using 15 languages ( N = 2,130). Low scores indicate preferring group inclusion and equality to dominance. As expected, cross-nationally, the lower people were on SSDO, the more they endorsed more women in leadership positions, protecting minorities, and aid to the poor. Multilevel moderation mod…
I Have a Dream”
To date, there is little in the way of theorizing or empirical work on the imagined endpoint of political action aimed at social change – the type of "dream" those engaged in action are attempting to bring into fruition. We suggest that previous approaches have focused narrowly on one type of social change – amelioration of collective grievances. In contrast, we argue that social change is much richer and imaginative than this narrow focus sugges…
Admiration regulates social hierarchy
In four studies, we report evidence that admiration affects intergroup behaviors that regulate social hierarchy. We demonstrate that manipulating the legitimacy of status relations affects admiration for the dominant and that this emotion negatively predicts political action tendencies aimed at social change. In addition, we show that greater warmth and competence lead to greater admiration for an outgroup, which in turn positively predicts defer…
Admiration regulates social hierarchy
In four studies, we report evidence that admiration affects intergroup behaviors that regulate social hierarchy. We demonstrate that manipulating the legitimacy of status relations affects admiration for the dominant and that this emotion negatively predicts political action tendencies aimed at social change. In addition, we show that greater warmth and competence lead to greater admiration for an outgroup, which in turn positively predicts defer…
International support for the Arab uprisings
Inspired by the popular Arab protests against oppressive regimes that began in 2010, people around the world protested in sympathy with the Arab peoples. The present research draws on two major theories of intergroup relations to develop an initial integrative model of sympathetic collective action. We incorporate social dominance theory’s (SDT) concept of (rejectionist) legitimizing myths with the solidarity and emotional mediation concept of th…
Subjective status and perceived legitimacy across countries
The relationships between subjective status and perceived legitimacy are important for understanding the extent to which people with low status are complicit in their oppression. We use novel data from 66 samples and 30 countries ( N = 12,788) and find that people with higher status see the social system as more legitimate than those with lower status, but there is variation across people and countries. The association between subjective status a…
I Have a Dream”
To date, there is little in the way of theorizing or empirical work on the imagined endpoint of political action aimed at social change – the type of "dream" those engaged in action are attempting to bring into fruition. We suggest that previous approaches have focused narrowly on one type of social change – amelioration of collective grievances. In contrast, we argue that social change is much richer and imaginative than this narrow focus sugges…
Attitude toward protest uniquely predicts (normative and nonnormative) political action by (advantaged and disadvantaged) group members
We find evidence that explicit (but not implicit) measures of general attitude towards protest uniquely predict normative and nonnormative political action tendencies, and behavior, over and above extant models of political action. Protest attitude uniquely predicts both the political action tendencies of members of disadvantaged groups and willingness to engage in solidarity-based action on behalf of such groups. Furthermore, we find some eviden…
Scholarship and Activism Diverge
In this introduction to the special issue, we examine the rift between psychological scholarship on race and racism in the academy and the critical theories embraced by activists and other social sciences. While Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) called on psychologists to “tell it like it is” by illuminating the reality of oppression and racism in its many forms, very little work in the (ideological) psychological literatures has examined this diversi…
We have no quarrel with you”
In three studies, we examined the effect of intergroup status on group members' tendencies to characterize the ingroup's relationship with an outgroup as conflictual following outgroup action. Findings from all three studies supported the prediction that the intergroup relationship would be characterized as less conflictual when the ingroup had relatively high rather than low status. Consistent with the hypothesis that the effect of status reflec…
From Social Dominance Orientation to Political Engagement
In three surveys of adults in five nations, we investigated how shared beliefs about the political system motivate individuals' political engagement. Specifically, we tested whether individuals' beliefs that the political context is fair, noncorrupt, and their belief that they could influence politics motivates political engagement to a higher extent for higher‐ compared to lower‐status group members. In a novel use of social dominance theory, we…
When Similarities are More Important than Differences
Employing survey data from the largest (known) sample of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic staff in British higher and further education, I respond to King's call to examine minority leadership within trade unions. Drawing on theoretical insights from the psychology of social movements, I examine how perceptions/experiences of racism, exclusion, bullying, and barriers to promotion impact on minority union leadership through different types of uni…
How group members appraise collective history
Group members’ appraisals of their in-group’s collective history have been found to shape their engagement with the in-group and its collective goals. We add to this research by examining the complexity and dimensionality of how group members appraise collective history, and how different forms of appraisals relate to different forms of in-group engagement. We do so by (1) outlining four key dimensions – richness, clarity, valence and subjective …
Conflict, what conflict? Evidence that playing down “conflict” can be a weapon of choice for high‐status groups
Three studies using pre‐existing (Studies 1 and 3) and minimal (Study 2) groups tested the hypothesis that ingroup status shapes whether “conflict’” with an outgroup is strategically acknowledged or downplayed. As predicted, high (vs. low) ingroup status led group members to downplay conflict, but only to an outgroup rather than ingroup audience (Studies 1 and 2; N s = 127 & 292), and only when the status difference was unstable (vs. stable) and …
Admiration regulates social hierarchy
In four studies, we report evidence that admiration affects intergroup behaviors that regulate social hierarchy. We demonstrate that manipulating the legitimacy of status relations affects admiration for the dominant and that this emotion negatively predicts political action tendencies aimed at social change. In addition, we show that greater warmth and competence lead to greater admiration for an outgroup, which in turn positively predicts defer…
Social Dominance in Context and in Individuals
We tested the internal reliability and predictive validity of a new 4-item Short Social Dominance Orientation (SSDO) scale among adults in 20 countries, using 15 languages ( N = 2,130). Low scores indicate preferring group inclusion and equality to dominance. As expected, cross-nationally, the lower people were on SSDO, the more they endorsed more women in leadership positions, protecting minorities, and aid to the poor. Multilevel moderation mod…
I Have a Dream”
To date, there is little in the way of theorizing or empirical work on the imagined endpoint of political action aimed at social change – the type of "dream" those engaged in action are attempting to bring into fruition. We suggest that previous approaches have focused narrowly on one type of social change – amelioration of collective grievances. In contrast, we argue that social change is much richer and imaginative than this narrow focus sugges…
International support for the Arab uprisings
Inspired by the popular Arab protests against oppressive regimes that began in 2010, people around the world protested in sympathy with the Arab peoples. The present research draws on two major theories of intergroup relations to develop an initial integrative model of sympathetic collective action. We incorporate social dominance theory’s (SDT) concept of (rejectionist) legitimizing myths with the solidarity and emotional mediation concept of th…
We have no quarrel with you”
In three studies, we examined the effect of intergroup status on group members' tendencies to characterize the ingroup's relationship with an outgroup as conflictual following outgroup action. Findings from all three studies supported the prediction that the intergroup relationship would be characterized as less conflictual when the ingroup had relatively high rather than low status. Consistent with the hypothesis that the effect of status reflec…
Scholarship and Activism Diverge
In this introduction to the special issue, we examine the rift between psychological scholarship on race and racism in the academy and the critical theories embraced by activists and other social sciences. While Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) called on psychologists to “tell it like it is” by illuminating the reality of oppression and racism in its many forms, very little work in the (ideological) psychological literatures has examined this diversi…
When Similarities are More Important than Differences
Employing survey data from the largest (known) sample of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic staff in British higher and further education, I respond to King's call to examine minority leadership within trade unions. Drawing on theoretical insights from the psychology of social movements, I examine how perceptions/experiences of racism, exclusion, bullying, and barriers to promotion impact on minority union leadership through different types of uni…
Attitude toward protest uniquely predicts (normative and nonnormative) political action by (advantaged and disadvantaged) group members
We find evidence that explicit (but not implicit) measures of general attitude towards protest uniquely predict normative and nonnormative political action tendencies, and behavior, over and above extant models of political action. Protest attitude uniquely predicts both the political action tendencies of members of disadvantaged groups and willingness to engage in solidarity-based action on behalf of such groups. Furthermore, we find some eviden…
Subjective status and perceived legitimacy across countries
The relationships between subjective status and perceived legitimacy are important for understanding the extent to which people with low status are complicit in their oppression. We use novel data from 66 samples and 30 countries ( N = 12,788) and find that people with higher status see the social system as more legitimate than those with lower status, but there is variation across people and countries. The association between subjective status a…
Conflict, what conflict? Evidence that playing down “conflict” can be a weapon of choice for high‐status groups
Three studies using pre‐existing (Studies 1 and 3) and minimal (Study 2) groups tested the hypothesis that ingroup status shapes whether “conflict’” with an outgroup is strategically acknowledged or downplayed. As predicted, high (vs. low) ingroup status led group members to downplay conflict, but only to an outgroup rather than ingroup audience (Studies 1 and 2; N s = 127 & 292), and only when the status difference was unstable (vs. stable) and …
From Social Dominance Orientation to Political Engagement
In three surveys of adults in five nations, we investigated how shared beliefs about the political system motivate individuals' political engagement. Specifically, we tested whether individuals' beliefs that the political context is fair, noncorrupt, and their belief that they could influence politics motivates political engagement to a higher extent for higher‐ compared to lower‐status group members. In a novel use of social dominance theory, we…
How group members appraise collective history
Group members’ appraisals of their in-group’s collective history have been found to shape their engagement with the in-group and its collective goals. We add to this research by examining the complexity and dimensionality of how group members appraise collective history, and how different forms of appraisals relate to different forms of in-group engagement. We do so by (1) outlining four key dimensions – richness, clarity, valence and subjective …
Dilemmas of resistance
A major theme in social psychological models of collective action is that shared social identity is a critical foundation for resistance and collective action. In this review, we suggest that this foundational role of social identity can be double edged for many minority groups because material disadvantage is often coupled with the historical erosion of key aspects of ingroup culture and identity. Focusing on the role of ingroup language in Wels…
Stimulus-category confounds reduce, but do not explain, different roles of intent across moral domains
Who cares about groups? The Group Orientation Scale measures differences in the general motivation for group belonging and concern for group goals
Group and intergroup research often addresses the ways in which people care about a specific group but focuses less on caring about groups in general. Here, we investigate individual differences in how likely people are to join and invest in the groups to which they belong. This idea is related to collectivism, but collectivism measures have been plagued by theoretical and measurement weaknesses. We therefore developed a Group Orientation Scale a…
Social and Intergroup Psychology (13 works) · Psychology (12 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Political science (11 works) · Cultural Differences and Values (9 works) · Politics (9 works) · Social Psychology (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Law (6 works) · Social group (6 works)