When Do Partisans Defect from Norm Violators?
Open Access
- Author:
- Flanders, Mackenzie
- Area of Honors:
- Political Science
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Peter K Hatemi, Thesis Supervisor
Sona N. Golder, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- In-group
Group Norms
Political Psychology
Political Identity
Collective Narcissism
Affective Polarization - Abstract:
- Political in-group members assume the expectation to abide and enforce group norms, maintaining a high motivation to protect their sanctity from the out-group. While research has focused on characteristics of in-group norm violators that may impact judgement, less research has explored attributes of the norm violation itself. This thesis explores causes and predictors of in-group members’ responses to norm violations committed by high-status in-group members. Specifically, I seek to explore the contrasting motivations to protect the in-group and look past the violation or condemn the violation to protect the reputation of the in-group. I find that the severity of a norm violation matters, as partisans were more likely to excuse low severity offenses and condemn high severity offenses. Additionally, Democrats and Republicans view norm violations differently, with Republican’s displaying a motivation to protect and remain loyal to the in-group and Democrats displaying a motivation to retain group standards. This study offers a new methodological structure for assessing in-group judgments and builds upon the foundation for future research relating to in-group judgments and perceptions of norm violations.