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  • Book
  • © 2023

Blame and Political Attitudes

The Psychology of America's Culture War

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  1. Gail Sahar

    1. Psychology, Wheaton College - Massachusetts, Norton, USA

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  • Addresses the polarization of political attitudes in America and offers pathways towards consensus forming

  • Examines the role of blame in forming opinions on issues like race, sexuality, terrorism, and poverty

  • Shows how politicians, such as Donald Trump, strategically use blame to influence the electorate

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  • ISBN: 978-3-031-20236-0
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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
    PDF

  3. Economic Issues

    • Gail Sahar
    Pages 27-46

  4. Issues of Sexuality

    • Gail Sahar
    Pages 47-72

  5. Racial Issues

    • Gail Sahar
    Pages 73-94

  6. Issues of Violence

    • Gail Sahar
    Pages 95-117

  7. Blame in the Age of Donald Trump

    • Gail Sahar
    Pages 119-149

  8. Blame, Ideology, and Reason for Hope

    • Gail Sahar
    Pages 151-173

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 175-182
    PDF
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About this book

Questions about the causes of events, from terrorist attacks to mass shootings to economic and public health crises dominate conversations across the US. Recent research in social psychology outlines the process we use to identify the causes of such events, reveals how we determine who is responsible or to blame, and documents the far-reaching consequences of these determinations for our emotions, our actions, and our attitudes.

Current approaches to political opinions posit a direct path from a person’s worldview (liberal or conservative) to their attitudes toward specific political issues like abortion and welfare. This book argues that blame is the missing link between the two. 

Gail Sahar demonstrates that the current emphasis on value differences, whether between conservatives and liberals in the U.S. or between religious and secular countries on a global level, ignores commonalities in the way people think about issues. She proposes that focusing on perceived causes of social problems is a much more promising avenue for dialog than trying to reconcile fundamental belief systems. Informed by the latest psychological science, this new take on how to change attitudes has implications for anyone seeking to influence the viewpoints of others, from politicians and activists to ordinary people talking about current events at a dinner party.

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Keywords

  • US Politics
  • attribution theory
  • political attitudes
  • political belief systems
  • attitude consensus
  • Public opinion
  • Electoral behaviour
  • group identities
  • voting behaviour
  • racial attitudes
  • causal perceptions
  • international conflict and terrorism
  • Donald Trump
  • attitude change
  • behavior change
  • policy attitudes
  • political ideology
  • judgments of causality
  • biases
  • attitudes on abortion
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Reviews

“A reader-friendly, well-researched and insightful analysis of an array of social attitudes and behaviors pertaining to abortion, political ideology, poverty, Donald Trump, and more. Guided by established psychological theory, these are embraced within a unifying framework centered around the concepts of responsibility and blame.  A valuable contribution to the understanding of fundamental social issues.” (Bernard Weiner, Distinguished Research Professor, University of California, Los Angeles)

“How do political, cultural, and religious ideologies guide attributional processes—our explanations for everyday social outcomes, the causes we see and those we don’t, the people and things we blame and those we don’t? Gail Sahar has the answers. She has written the best, most accessible, and most socially relevant book about attribution I’ve read in decades, and maybe ever. It is a genuinely wise and important contribution to social psychology, political science, and U.S. society as a whole.” (John T. Jost, Professor of Psychology and Politics, New York University, Author of A Theory of System Justification and Left & Right: The Psychological Significance of a Political Distinction)

“This book is an essential and accessible guide to the psychology of blame in our everyday social lives. Not only does it hold up a mirror to show how human behavior is often inherently political, but leads us gently to question ourselves and ask, ‘Do you like what you see?’” (Ashley Weinberg, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at University of Salford, UK, founding Chair of the BPS Political Psychology Section, and editor of The Psychology of Politicians and Psychology of Democracy: Of the People, By the People, For the People)

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Authors and Affiliations

  • Psychology, Wheaton College - Massachusetts, Norton, USA

    Gail Sahar

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About the author

Gail Sahar is Jane Oxford Keiter Professor of Psychology, Wheaton College, Massachusetts USA. Professor Sahar has been researching the effects of causal perceptions on political attitudes for over 30 years. Her research focuses on the links between political ideology, perceptions of the causes of social problems, blame, emotions, and attitudes toward controversial social issues, such as poverty, abortion, and terrorism.

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Bibliographic Information

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Access via your institution
eBook USD 19.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • ISBN: 978-3-031-20236-0
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
Softcover Book USD 27.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Learn about institutional subscriptions