Hate and meaning in life: How collective, but not personal, hate quells threat and spurs meaning in life
| Autor: | Abdo Elnakouri, Ian McGregor, Candice Hubley |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: |
Enthusiasm
Sociology and Political Science Social Psychology media_common.quotation_subject 05 social sciences 050109 social psychology 16. Peace & justice 050105 experimental psychology Hatred Feeling Prosocial behavior 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Behavioral inhibition Meaning (existential) Ideology Psychology Social psychology Coherence (linguistics) media_common |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 98:104227 |
| ISSN: | 0022-1031 |
| Popis: | Classic and contemporary perspectives link meaning in life to the pursuit of a significant purpose, free from incoherence. The typical assumption is that these meaningful purposes are prosocial, or at least benign. Here, we tested whether hate might also bolster meaning in life, via motivational states underlying significant purpose and coherence. In two studies (N = 847; Study 2 pre-registered), describing hatred (vs. mere dislike) towards collective entities (societal phenomena, institutions, groups), but not individuals, heightened feelings linked to the behavioral approach system (BAS; eagerness, determination, enthusiasm), which underlies a sense of significant purpose, and muted feelings linked to threat and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS; confused, uncertain, conflicted), which underlies a sense of incoherence. This high BAS and low BIS, in turn, predicted meaning in life beyond pre-manipulation levels. Exploratory analyses suggested that personal hatreds did not have the meaning-bolstering effects that collective hatreds had due to meaning-dampening negative feelings. Discussion focuses on motivation for collective and ideological hatreds in threatening circumstances. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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