Moral values, social ideologies and threat-based cognition: Implications for intergroup relations

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Political Psychology
• Moral Psychology

Background:

• Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) posits five moral values: harm, fairness, loyalty, authority, and purity.
• These values influence political and cultural ideologies, but their link to strong social ideologies and intergroup dynamics is underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between moral foundations, strong social ideologies (authoritarianism, social dominance orientation), and intergroup attitudes.
• To examine the mediating roles of authoritarianism and social dominance orientation.
• To explore the influence of threat perceptions on these relationships.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted with 157 (Study 1) and 388 (Study 2) participants.
• Participants' endorsement of moral foundations, authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and attitudes toward immigrant and ethnic minority groups were assessed.
• Statistical analyses, including mediation and threat effect analyses, were employed.

Main Results:

• Endorsement of individualizing moral foundations (harm, fairness) predicted less negative intergroup attitudes, mediated by social dominance orientation.
• Endorsement of binding moral foundations (loyalty, authority, purity) predicted more negative intergroup attitudes, mediated by authoritarianism.
• Threat perceptions were identified as a significant underlying explanatory variable.

Conclusions:

• Moral foundations significantly predict strong social ideologies and intergroup attitudes.
• The findings highlight the crucial role of threat perceptions in understanding these relationships.
• MFT offers valuable insights into the psychological underpinnings of political ideologies and intergroup conflict.