The Rhetorical Psychology of Trumpism: Threat, Absolutism, and the Absolutist Threat

The Forum ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan Marietta ◽  
Tyler Farley ◽  
Tyler Cote ◽  
Paul Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Original Data ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Economic Decline ◽  
Personal Safety ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Strategy Analysis ◽  
Rhetorical Strategy ◽  
Electoral Success ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Positive Character

Abstract Conventional wisdom suggests that Donald Trump’s rhetoric – aggressive, insulting, often offensive – would be counterproductive to electoral success. We argue that Trump’s surprising victories in both the primary and general campaigns were partly due to the positive effects of his appeals grounded in the intersection of threat and absolutism. The content of Trump’s rhetoric focused on threats to personal safety (terrorism), personal status (economic decline), and group status (immigration). The style of Trump’s rhetoric was absolutist, emphasizing non-negotiable boundaries and moral outrage at their violation. Previous research has shown perceived threat to motivate political participation and absolutist rhetoric to bolster impressions of positive character traits. Trump employed these two rhetorical psychologies simultaneously, melding threat and absolutism into the absolutist threat as an effective rhetorical strategy. Analysis of Trump’s debate language and Twitter rhetoric, as well as original data from political elites at the Republican National Convention and ordinary voters at rallies in New Hampshire confirm the unconventional efficacy of Trump’s rhetorical approach.

scholarly journals What Does It Take to Get Elected in a Post-Communist Democracy?

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siim Trumm
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Campaign Spending ◽  
Vote Share ◽  
Electoral Success ◽  
Political Experience ◽  
Party Organisation ◽  
Electoral Performance ◽  
Local Party

The literature on post-communist democracies has traditionally suggested that organisational strength is considerably less important for electoral success than extensive media-based campaigns. Recent studies on party-level electoral dynamics, however, indicate that this might not be the case any longer. Building on these insights, this study goes beyond the party-level analyses of electoral success and failure by focusing on the electoral fortunes of individual candidates in a post-communist democracy. Using original data from the 2011 Estonian Candidate Survey, this article looks at the comparative impact of candidates’ campaign spending and the strength of their local party organisation, alongside other potentially relevant characteristics, on their likelihood of getting elected and vote share. The findings suggest that candidates’ electoral performance in Estonia is still first and foremost shaped by their own campaign spending. In addition, I find evidence that candidates fare better if they have prior local-level and national-level political experience, conduct more personalised campaigns, and are positioned higher up on their party’s district-level list.

scholarly journals Intergroup Threat as a Mediator of Ethnic Identification and Intergroup Orientations

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 534-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margareta Jelić ◽  
Ena Uzelac ◽  
Dinka Čorkalo Biruški
Keyword(s):  
Minority Groups ◽  
Group Identification ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Ethnic Identification ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Right To Education ◽  
Majority Group ◽  
Prejudice And Discrimination ◽  
The Relationship

In Croatia, four minority groups practice their right to education in their respective mother tongues. Relations between the majority and minority groups in the four multiethnic communities have developed under different historical circumstances. Thus, in some regions the different language of the minority and the majority group can be perceived as a threat to identity and result in intergroup prejudice and discrimination, whereas in others it might not. In this study, we wanted to examine: (a) the mediating effect of perceived threat on the relationship between in-group identification and intergroup orientation, (b) whether those relationships are moderated by the group status, and (c) contextual specificities, that is, we wanted to test the model in four different contexts. Results showed that ethnonationalism (rather than ethnic identity) is detrimental for intergroup relations, partially due to its connection to the perception of the out-group as a threat. Model tests in different contexts revealed some contextual differences.

LGBTQ-Related Individual Differences Predict Emotional Reactions to the Pulse Nightclub Shootings

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-226
Author(s):  
Ralitsa S. Maduro ◽  
Brynn E. Sheehan ◽  
Phoebe Hitson ◽  
Alexander T. Shappie ◽  
Valerian J. Derlega
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Hate Crimes ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Personal Safety ◽  
Related Individual ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
Identity Centrality ◽  
Public Regard

This study examined, among 232 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQ) participants, the association of identity centrality and public regard with negative affect about the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando, Florida. Identification with victims and perceived threat to personal safety were sequential mediators. Identity centrality was associated with greater identification with the shooting victims. In turn, identification with the victims was associated with greater perceived threat, followed by more negative affect. Low public regard was associated with greater perceived threat that, in turn, was associated with more negative affect. The results support the notion that LGBTQ-related individual differences increase distress about anti-sexual/gender minority hate crimes, especially for individuals with a strong LGBTQ identity and who believe that the majority, heterosexual society devalues sexual/gender minority persons.

Gone For Good: Deindustrialization, White Voter Backlash, and US Presidential Voting

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
LEONARDO BACCINI ◽  
STEPHEN WEYMOUTH
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity Theory ◽  
Economic Voting ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Economic Decline ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Racial Hierarchy ◽  
Economic Distress ◽  
White Voters ◽  
Black Voters

Globalization and automation have contributed to deindustrialization and the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs, yielding important electoral implications across advanced democracies. Coupling insights from economic voting and social identity theory, we consider how different groups in society may construe manufacturing job losses in contrasting ways. We argue that deindustrialization threatens dominant group status, leading some white voters in affected localities to favor candidates they believe will address economic distress and defend racial hierarchy. Examining three US presidential elections, we find white voters were more likely to vote for Republican challengers where manufacturing layoffs were high, whereas Black voters in hard-hit localities were more likely to vote for Democrats. In survey data, white respondents, in contrast to people of color, associated local manufacturing job losses with obstacles to individual upward mobility and with broader American economic decline. Group-based identities help explain divergent political reactions to common economic shocks.

scholarly journals Overview and Strategy Analysis of Technology-based Non-pharmacological Interventions for Delirium Prevention: Systematic Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chanmi Kim ◽  
Esther M. van der Heide ◽  
Thomas J. L. van Rompay ◽  
Gijsbertus J. Verkerke ◽  
Geke. D. S. Ludden
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Hospital Setting ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
The Body ◽  
Strategy Analysis ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Systematic Effort ◽  
Delirium Prevention

BACKGROUND Delirium prevention is crucial, especially in critically ill patients. Increasingly, non-pharmacological multicomponent interventions for preventing delirium are recommended and technology-based interventions have developed to support them. Despite the increasing number and diversity in technology-based interventions, there has been no systematic effort to create an overview. OBJECTIVE The systematic review was carried out to answer the following questions: (1) What are technologies currently used in non-pharmacological technology-based interventions for preventing and reducing delirium?, (2) What are the strategies underlying these currently used technologies? METHODS A systematic search was conducted in Scopus and Embase between 2015 and 2020. A selection was made following the PRISMA guideline. Studies were eligible if they contained any types of technology-based interventions and assessed delirium-/risk factor-related outcome measures in a hospital setting. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed using a predesigned data form. RESULTS A total of 31 studies were included and analyzed focusing on the types of technology and the strategies used in the interventions. The review revealed eight different technology types and 14 strategies that were categorized into seven pathways: (1) restore circadian rhythm, (2) activate the body, (3) activate the mind, (4) induce relaxation, provide (5) a sense of security, (6) a sense of control, and (7) a sense of being connected. For all technology types, significant positive effects were found on direct and/or indirect delirium outcome. Several similarities were found across effective interventions: using a multicomponent approach and/or including components comforting psychological needs of patients (e.g., familiarity, distraction and soothing elements). CONCLUSIONS Technology-based interventions have a high potential when multidimensional needs of patients (e.g., physical, cognitive and emotional) are incorporated. The seven pathways pinpoint starting points for building more effective technology-based interventions. Opportunities were discussed for transforming the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) into a healing environment as a powerful tool to prevent delirium.

scholarly journals Peer acceptance/rejection and academic achievement

2003 ◽  
pp. 267-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Spasenovic
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Peer Relations ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Peer Acceptance ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Stable Characteristic

Considerations of the nature and role of peer relations in child development indicate that peer interaction is an important factor in developing social and cognitive competences. Peer relations not only influence current but also subsequent academic, behavioral and emotional development. Accepted students more often display better academic achievement, whereas the status of rejection is coupled with academic difficulties and lower academic achievement. Peer rejection is a relatively stable characteristic that can be used to predict difficulties in the years to come, such as repeat of a grade, early drop out, unjustified absences, adaptability problems etc. It is considered that correlation between academic achievement and peer group status is mediated by student social behavior at school. The quality of peer relations and academic achievement are mutually influential i.e. peer acceptance serves as a social resource that facilitates academic achievement, but academic achievement has effects on student acceptance. To help students who display difficulties in social relations, various intervention programs have been well thought of so as to contribute to interpersonal efficiency promotion. Concerning interdependence of social behavior, peer status and academic achievement, it is reasonable to expect that positive changes in behavior, frequently leading to the change of rejection status, will produce, directly or indirectly, positive effects on academic achievement too.

The perceived threat of demographic shifts depends on how you think the economy works

2020 ◽  
pp. 136843022095162
Author(s):  
Krystal M. Perkins ◽  
Alexia Toskos Dils ◽  
Stephen J. Flusberg
Keyword(s):  
Political Attitudes ◽  
Online Dating ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
White Americans ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Majority Group ◽  
Economic Beliefs ◽  
Demographic Shifts ◽  
Zero Sum ◽  
The U.S

Research shows that people exhibit a conservative shift in their politics when their majority group status is threatened. We reasoned that perceptions of threat posed by shifting demographics might depend on individuals’ folk economic beliefs. Across three experiments, White Americans read about projected demographic changes (“threat”) or changes in online dating (“control”) before expressing support for political policies. They also indicated whether they viewed the U.S. economy as a zero- or non-zero-sum system. Relative to controls, participants in the threat condition expressed more support for conservative policies, but only if they conceptualized the economy in zero-sum terms; those who conceptualized the economy in non-zero-sum terms actually endorsed slightly more liberal positions under “threat.” However, these effects obtained only when participants expressed their economic views before their political attitudes. This suggests folk economic beliefs shape how people respond to threats to their majority status, provided those beliefs are first made explicit.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF A SCALE TO MEASURE CONTACT WITH OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S81-S81
Author(s):  
Robert C Intrieri ◽  
Maria Kurth
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Intergroup Contact ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
Group Member ◽  
Three Factor

Abstract Allport (1954) hypothesized that intergroup contact would reduce prejudice that an in-group member would experience toward an out-group member. Allport held that positive effects of intergroup contact would occur when four conditions were met: (a) equal group status within the situation, (b) common goals, (c) intergroup cooperation, and (d) the support of authorities, law, or custom. Although contact with older adults is an important influence on attitudes toward older people, no psychometrically adequate measures of contact exist. Specifically, this study examined the factor structure of an instrument to measure contact with older adults. The convenience sample consisted of 188 women and 282 men (n = 470). Mean ages for men and women were 21.06 (SD = 2.28) and 20.88 (SD = 3.09), respectively (Mtotal = 20.99, SDtotal = 2.63). Participants were predominantly Caucasian (n=295, 62.6%), African American (n=67, 14.2%), Hispanic/Latino/a (n=63, 13.4%), and other minorities comprising the remaining 9.8%. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis showed the three factor model exhibited a reasonable fit to the data X2 (41, N = 471) = 281.81; p<.0001, CFI =.954; TLI =.938; RMSEA =. 000 (90% CI, 0.100-0.124) SRMS = .054. Results and further adjustments to the model will be discussed.

scholarly journals CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS BENEFITS AND IMPLICATIONS

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (02) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lela Susanty ◽  
Ardian Arifin ◽  
Darmadi Darmadi ◽  
Yuliana Yuliana ◽  
Ismawati Ismawati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young People ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Personal Safety ◽  
Socialization Process ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Platform

This research aims to show the positive effects and the negative social media on the growth of young people. This discussion brings together the work of various fields of study the association between social media and social capital, personal safety of young people, psychological well-being, and learning performance. This research takes information from some of the posts that cover the same topic. Those selected are regular users of social media. The methodology used in this research is to use literature research with a theoretical framework developed for synthesis. The research shows that children and young people terbawa- bring positive social media to help improve their communication skills, get data, improve their technological expertise, as well as how they can use the latest technology efficiently. On the other hand, they are at risk of Facebook’s mental stress, cyberbullying, as well as online intimate harassment. The conclusion of this research is a social media platform is a very important role in the lives of young people every day. They find benefits by improving communication skills with friends and relatives and they can further improve their socialization process. Not only that, it can be said that young people can use social media to obtain data on topics such as health, education, as well as for improving the technical expertise using the latest technology.

Understanding Traffic Safety Culture: Implications for Increasing Traffic Safety

2017 ◽  
Vol 2635 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Tazul Islam ◽  
Laura Thue ◽  
Jana Grekul
Keyword(s):  
Safety Culture ◽  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Personal Safety ◽  
Behavior Support ◽  
Law And Policy

Despite the success of various engineering, education, and enforcement measures, fatalities and injuries from traffic collisions remain one of the major global problems. It has been advocated that addressing this massive problem requires a fundamental transformation in the traffic safety culture of road users. Measuring and understanding traffic safety culture has gained growing attention in the field of traffic safety. This study, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada, aimed to ( a) measure traffic safety culture related to distracted driving, impaired driving, and speeding; ( b) investigate how perceptions of these major issues are associated with self-reported behavior and support for related enforcement and policy; and ( c) explore the effect of respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics on traffic safety culture. A telephone survey based on a stratified random sample of approximately 1,000 residents in the Edmonton region of Alberta, Canada, was conducted in 2014. Descriptive analysis, multivariate confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were performed. The results demonstrate statistically significant correlations among perceived threat to personal safety, acceptability of behaviors, self-reported behaviors, support for enforcement, and support for law and policy. Perceived threat to personal safety has a statistically significant influence on self-reported behavior, support for enforcement, and support for law and policy. Various sociodemographic characteristics have a significant effect on the perceived threat of traffic behaviors to personal safety. The results can be used to guide educational campaigns to transform traffic safety culture from one that is risk receptive to one that is protective.

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