Browsing by Author "Kessler, Thomas"

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    Materialist and Post-Materialist Concerns and the Wish for a Strong Leader in 27 Countries
    (PSYCHOPEN, 2021) Lima, Marcus E. O.; de Franca, Dalila X.; Jetten, Jolanda; Pereira, Cicero R.; Wohl, Michael J. A.; Jasinskaja Lahti, Inga; Hong, Ying yi; Torres, Ana Raquel; Costa Lopes, Rui; Ariyanto, Amarina; Autin, Frederique; Ayub, Nadia; Badea, Constantina; Besta, Tomasz; Butera, Fabrizio; Fantini Hauwel, Carole; Finchilescu, Gillian; Gaertner, Lowell; Gollwitzer, Mario; Gomez, Angel; Gonzalez, Roberto; Jensen, Dorthe Hoj; Karasawa, Minoru; Kessler, Thomas; Klein, Olivier; Megevand, Laura; Morton, Thomas; Paladino, Maria Paola; Polya, Tibor; Renvik, Tuuli Anna; Ruza, Aleksejs; Shahrazad, Wan; Shama, Sushama; Smith, Heather J.; Teymoori, Ali; van der Bles, Anne Marthe
    There is evidence that democracies are under threat around the world while the quest for strong leaders is increasing. Although the causes of these developments are complex and multifaceted, here we focus on one factor: the extent to which citizens express materialist and post-materialist concerns. We explore whether objective higher levels of democracy are differentially associated with materialist and post-materialist concerns and, in turn, whether this is related to the wish for a strong leader. Testing this hypothesis across 27 countries (N = 5,741) demonstrated a direct negative effect of democracies' development on the wish for a strong leader. Further, multi-level mediation analysis showed that the relation between the Democracy Index and the wish for a strong leader was mediated by materialist concerns. This pattern of results suggests that lower levels of democracy are associated with enhanced concerns about basic needs and this is linked to greater support for strong leaders.
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    Prejudice among Peruvians and Chileans as a Function of Identity, Intergroup Contact, Acculturation Preferences, and Intergroup Emotions
    (WILEY-BLACKWELL, 2010) Gonzalez, Roberto; Sirlopu, David; Kessler, Thomas
    A special Latin American acculturative context is currently developing in Chile in which native Chileans have contact with several immigrant groups, particularly newcomers from Peru. This study examines several intergroup variables including contact, national and Latino American identities, group distinctiveness, realistic threat, intergroup anxiety, and acculturation preferences as predictors of prejudice on the part of both Chilean natives and Peruvian immigrants. Three hundred Peruvian immigrants (194 females and 106 males) and 300 Chileans (199 females and 101 males) participated in the study. Acculturation preferences, perceived group distinctiveness, and especially intergroup contact were shown to be important predictors of prejudice toward out-group members. Intergroup anxiety and realistic threat mediated some of these effects. The pattern of these results also varied as a function of nationality. Theoretical as well as practical implications for further research are discussed.