Browsing by Author "Tausch, Nicole"

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    Psychological processes underlying normative transformation and social change
    (2025) González Gutiérrez, Roberto; Carvacho García, Héctor; Tausch, Nicole
    There have been widespread social changes in the past decade, including changes in gender norms, increases in political polarization and populism, and noticeable shifts toward sustainability. In this Review, we analyse the psychological processes that drive social change, considering factors at the group and individual levels of analysis. We centre our analysis around the concept of social norms — socially shared views of what is common or desirable — and argue that the processes that trigger social change often begin when there is a substantive tension between norms within society. Normative tension can occur vertically between norms at the societal level and the norms that emerge at the group level, or between individuals’ normative preferences and the norms of their groups. Normative tension can also occur horizontally between the norms that different groups have regarding their values, preferences and behaviours. We explain how normative tension mobilizes individuals to engage in collective action and how conflicting social norms are contested at the group level. We also highlight individual differences that predispose people to challenge or defend existing social norms. Together, our Review highlights the complex interactions between societal, group and individual-level variables in societal transformations.
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    Resistance in Repressive Contexts: A Comprehensive Test of Psychological Predictors
    (2021) Ayanian, Arin H.; Tausch, Nicole; Acar, Yasemin Gulsum; Chayinska, Maria; Cheung, Wing-Yee; Lukyanova, Yulia
    Empirical research on the social psychological antecedents of collective action has been conducted almost exclusively in democratic societies, where activism is relatively safe. The present research examines the psychological predictors of collective action intentions in contexts where resistance is met with significant repression by the authorities. Combining recent advancements in the collective action literature, our model examines the unique predictive roles of emotion (anger and fear), political identity consolidation and participative efficacies, politicized identification, and moral obligation, over and above past participation. It further investigates how these variables are shaped by perceptions of risks attributable to repression. Four survey studies test this model among protesters in Russia (N = 305), Ukraine (N = 136), Hong Kong (N = 115), and Turkey (N = 296). Meta-analytic integration of the findings highlights that, unlike in most current accounts of collective action, protesters in these contexts are not primarily driven by political efficacy. Rather, their involvement is contingent upon beliefs in the ability of protest to build a movement (identity consolidation and participative efficacies) and motivated by outrage at state repression, identification with the social movement, and a sense of moral obligation to act on their behalf. Results also confirm that risks attributable to state repression spur rather than quell resistance by increasing outrage, politicized identification, identity consolidation and participative efficacies, and moral obligation. The implications of these findings for models of collective action and our understanding of the motives underlying engagement in repressive contexts are discussed.