Scared selfish: a culture of fear’s values in the age of terrorism (original) (raw)
2004, The American Sociologist
In the Age of Terrorism fear becomes a constant companion. This is particularly true in a society already beset by a culture of fear. We explore some cognitive effects of fear induced by victimization to explain America's reaction to the events of 9/11. Using reliable measures of value orientations we find that exposure to violence produces a shift in value orientations toward values that are more self-enhancing. America's seemingly fractured state may be explained in part by this effect. "To him who is in fear everything rustles."-Sophocles The social psychology of terrorists is obviously fertile ground for theorizing given the social production of most modern terrorism. While some terrorists are disaffected loners (e.g. Theodore Kaczynski), more frequently terrorists are members of subordinate social groups that support an ideology of terror-as-resistance and influence some of its members to wreak violence on their oppressors. Social psychology offers general explanations for this influence, the effects oppression has on the affect and cognition of subordinate group members, how action is tailored to express those thoughts and feelings, and even how social psychological processes produce and maintain stratification systems in the first place. The social psychology of the terrorist and the oppressed group that produces the terrorist is thus a well-plowed field in sociology. Less understood are the social psychological effects of terrorism on the victims. Certainly, one cannot address the social psychology of terrorism's targets without addressing the role that fear plays in that social psychology. The bombings and shootings defined as terrorism occasionally have strategic goals, but the target of modern terrorism is the dominant population rather than its armed forces, govern-Mark Konty is an assistant professor of sociology at Washington State University where he researches crime and deviant behavior from social psychological perspectives. Blythe Duell received her B.S. in psychology from the University of Wyoming and her M.S. in psychology from Washington State University. She has presented research at a number of conferences including the American Psychological Society and Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Her research interests include pro-social and cooperative behavior, social dilemmas, and Terror Management Theory. Jeff Joireman is an assistant professor of Psychology at Washington State University and a former Fulbright Scholar. His research foci include decision-making in social dilemmas, pro-environmental behavior, terror management, aggression, empathy, social values, and the consideration of future consequences.
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