Power and the Moralization of Loyalty

• In Event: 114 - Section on Altruism, Morality and Social Solidarity Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 01. Thicker Concepts in Altruism and Social Solidarity Research

Abstract

Whether a group succeeds in accomplishing its goals often depends on the attitudes held by its members toward each other and the group as a whole. In particular, moral attitudes about in-group loyalty inform individuals’ assumptions about what counts as legitimate group interaction. When groups are structured hierarchically, the power differential also results in a moral attitude differential among its members. This project investigates the nature of the relationship between power and the moralization of loyalty and its implications for sustained intra-group interaction. Two online experiments offer initial evidence for psychological components of having power increasing moralization of loyalty. Experiment 1 primed participants to adopt either a high or low power mindset. High power participants expressed stronger moral attitudes about issues of loyalty/betrayal than did low power participants. Experiment 2 manipulated the power of participants’ role in a simulated group task. However, high power participants did not judge a low contributing group member to be any less loyal, less moral, or more worthy of sanction than did low power participants. Additionally, responses to three proposed mediators meant to measure extent of group- and self-oriented motivations to moralize loyalty—implicit anxiety, investment in the group, and perceived disloyalty to the high power group member—did not differ by power condition. Results and suggestions for future directions for investigating power and the moralization of loyalty are discussed.

Author

• Aaron Heshel Silverman, Stanford University