Popis: |
The American flag is an important and ubiquitous national symbol that presumably represents the nation’s core values and beliefs, yet the flag seems to have become a controversial partisan issue. Two studies (total N = 768) examined found that Democrats were more likely than Republicans to associate the flag with power, racism, and negative affect. In contrast, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to associate the flag with egalitarianism and positive affect. Study 2 showed that these emotional differences were largely driven by Democrats’ perceived lack of ownership over the flag. When Democrats perceived the flag as belonging to their political ingroup, they felt more positive and less negative affects. However, when Democrats perceived the flag as belonging to their political outgroup, they experienced less positive and more negative affects. Republicans’ affective experience did not shift according to perceived party ownership of the flag. |