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Interweaving Social Dominance theory with Person-Environment (P-E) fit theory, the present study examines how people higher on social dominance orientation (SDO, i.e., those who generally favor group hierarchies and inequalities) can deal with belonging to institutions that culturally sustain group equality (i.e., hierarchy-attenuating institutions). We enrolled two cohorts of first year students majoring in social work (Sample 1, N = 296; Sample 2, N = 117), a typical hierarchy-attenuating setting. Participants' belonging to a hierarchy-attenuating institution was primed before administering a self-report questionnaire for measuring the study's variables. Results of mediation analyses showed that people higher in SDO experienced higher P-E misfit with the institution in both samples. In turn, P-E misfit was positively associated with the intention to leave the social work faculty and with a higher pro-self hierarchy-enhancing motivation (i.e., agreeing that 'I am enrolled in a Social work faculty primarily to have more chances to gain money and success in the future'). These results show that people higher in SDO can deal with the dissonant condition of P-E misfit with a hierarchy-attenuating institution by leaving such institution (i.e., differential attrition process) and/or by adopting a framework for their presence in a hierarchy-attenuating institution that aligns with their own's socially dominant beliefs (i.e., motivational shaping process). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed., Author(s): Alessio Tesi [sup.1] , Antonio Aiello [sup.1] , Felicia Pratto [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/03ad39j10, grid.5395.a, 0000 0004 1757 3729, Department of Political Sciences, University of Pisa, , Via [...]

This research investigated the relation between the need for cognitive closure, social dominance orientation, and attitudes toward women as managers within a sample of Italian workers (N = 391) enrolled in a cross-sectional study. More specifically, we hypothesized and found that the association between need for cognitive closure and prejudice toward women managers was mediated by social dominance orientation. Notably, these results remained significant even after controlling for participants' gender, education, age, and political orientation. Further, results from a moderation analysis revealed that the relationship between social dominance orientation and negative attitudes toward woman leaders was moderated by the need for cognitive closure. That is, the relationship between social dominance orientation and prejudice towards women managers was stronger for participants higher in need for cognitive closure—compared to those who were low. These results could shed light on new routes in practical intervention aimed at solving prejudice towards women in leadership roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is aimed at testing if blatant support for group‐based hierarchies (i.e., social dominance orientation‐dominance [SDO‐D]) was related to the level of future perceived person−environment (P−E) misfit when people meet an environment characterized by a culture that strongly supports antidominant values (i.e., hierarchy‐attenuating organization). A total of 106 students of a social work faculty—a typical hierarchy‐attenuating context—voluntarily participated and filled an anonymous questionnaire on two‐time occasions in which we measured their SDO‐D and their perceived P−E misfit. Although the SDO‐D and P−E misfit levels were, on average, relatively low, a cross‐lagged panel analysis revealed that SDO‐D was positively associated with future levels of P−E misfit measured 6 months later, while no evidence of association was found for the opposite. The present study contributes to broadening the interweaving of social dominance theory and the P−E fit. It reveals that the more people support social hierarchies, the more they will experience a greater P−E misfit in a hierarchy‐attenuating context. The misfit feeling appears to develop over time; it grows based on people's awareness of the hierarchy‐attenuating functioning of the organization and is boosted by their SDO‐D levels. The results also underline that the perceived P−E misfit does not influence future SDO‐D levels, supporting the notion that SDO‐D is a rather stable individual difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I was freshman class president and chairman of the winter dance committee. It was the middle of fourth period Student Council and we were debating an issue of the utmost [...]

In three surveys of adults in five nations, we investigated how shared beliefs about the political system motivate individuals' political engagement. Specifically, we tested whether individuals' beliefs that the political context is fair, noncorrupt, and their belief that they could influence politics motivates political engagement to a higher extent for higher‐ compared to lower‐status group members. In a novel use of social dominance theory, we theoretically conceived of these political beliefs as legitimizing ideologies, so that we predicted that people with higher social dominance orientation endorse these beliefs, which in turn enhance the motivation to engage in politics to support current social hierarchical systems. Moreover, we expected that these relationships would be stronger for higher‐ compared to lower‐status groups. These hypotheses were tested considering different levels of group status: wealth status within a country (Study 1), political‐regional differences within a country (Study 2), and international status (i.e., between countries; Study 3), and they were largely supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals who have a strong locomotion orientation tend to be future-oriented and motivated to move from the present state toward a future state, making swift and steady progress toward their goals. The current study has assessed the conceptual possibility that such motivation leads locomotors to experience greater hopeful thinking, an active cognitive process that consists in planning the future and implementing these plans. The results of Study 1 lend preliminary support to this possibility. The practical implication was linked to the importance of hope in the subjective well-being experienced in everyday life. For this reason, Study 2 tested a model in which hopeful thinking mediated the subjective well-being experienced by locomotors. The results supported the hypothesis: locomotion orientation was associated with enhanced hope capabilities that, in turn, were associated with higher subjective well-being, with significant positive implications for individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]