THE IMPLICATIONS OF VIEWING POLITICAL OPPONENTS AS SHEEPLE
Public Deposited- Creator
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Hartman, Rachel
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
- Abstract
- Political polarization has been on the rise in recent years, and understanding how partisans view each other is an important step toward bridging divides. A common narrative in political discourse emphasizes the “sheepleness” of the other side—people view outgroup members as being influenced externally by their upbringing and the media they consume. The present studies examine the way partisans use the sheepleness lens to explain how and why their opponents came to identify with the outgroup. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods across six studies, I investigate the attributions people make to explain their opponents’ political beliefs and behaviors, and the impact of these attributions on their perceptions of outgroup members. I found correlational and causal evidence for the relationship between perceived sheepleness and outgroup favorability, mediated by perceived unintelligence. I also found consistent party differences in perceived sheepleness, perceived unintelligence, and outgroup favorability, with Republicans displaying more positivity toward the outgroup. The findings offer insight into how partisans view each other.
- Date of publication
- 2023
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Advisor
- Gray, Kurt
- Payne, Keith
- Algoe, Sara
- Rucker, Julian
- Gordon, Peter
- Degree
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
- Graduation year
- 2023
- Language
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This work has no parents.
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