Abstract
Integrating research on intergroup emotions and scapegoating, we propose that moral outrage toward an outgroup perceived to be unjustly harming another outgroup can represent a motivated displacement of blame that reduces collective guilt over ingroup harm-doing. We tested this hypothesis by manipulating the purported cause of working-class Americans' suffering (ingroup cause vs. unknown cause vs. outgroup cause) and whether a potential scapegoat target (i.e., illegal immigrants) was portrayed as a viable or nonviable alternative source of this harm. Supporting hypotheses, participants primed with ingroup culpability for working-class harm (versus other sources) reported increased moral outrage and support for retributive action toward immigrants when immigrants were portrayed as a viable source of that harm, but reported increased collective guilt and support for reparative action when immigrants were portrayed as a nonviable source of that harm. Effects on retributive and reparative action were differentially mediated by moral outrage and collective guilt, respectively.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 898-906 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Experimental Social Psychology |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Collective guilt
- Immigrants
- Moral outrage
- Reparative action
- Retributive action
- Scapegoating
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Sociology and Political Science