Seeing Safety in Red: Expressions of Interpersonal Gratitude Affects Conservatives’ Political Attitudes in the United States

Author

Kyle M. Anderson, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

2-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Psychology

Advisor

Daryl Wout

Committee Members

Claudia Brumbaugh

Justin Storbeck

David Caicedo

Subject Categories

Social Psychology

Keywords

Expressions of Gratitude, Conservatism, System Justification, Social Tuning, Uncertainty

Abstract

The current research focuses on how the expression of interpersonal gratitude might affect conservative attitudes, behaviors, and policy support in the United States. This was investigated either through expressions of gratitude or receiving gratitude to an interpersonally close other, as in Studies 1 and 2, or expressing gratitude to an authority figure or equal in one’s life, as in Study 3. Study 1 showed that expressing gratitude, relative to receiving gratitude, reduced support for general conservative ideology. Using serial mediation analyses, Study 2 demonstrated that expressions of gratitude, relative to receiving gratitude, directly reduced perceptions of relational uncertainty, which increased general uncertainty, in turn decreasing system justification. However, it is unclear what this decrease specifically means, although shared reality processes offer the most parsimonious explanation. Additionally, Study 3 demonstrated that expressions of gratitude to equals, relative to authority figures, led to greater identification with the target, the experimental manipulation nor identification with the target affected partisan animosity, support for undemocratic candidates or policies, and political violence. Broadly, these studies lend some support to the idea that expressions of gratitude could either decrease or increase conservatism, although specific psychological mechanisms still remains unclear. In addition to clarifying how and when expressions of interpersonal gratitude affect conservatism, future directions include investigating how interpersonal gratitude might affect political attitudes on the left side of the political spectrum, and considerations within power dynamics of different relationships and intergroup relations construed broadly.

Recommended Citation

Anderson, Kyle M., "Seeing Safety in Red: Expressions of Interpersonal Gratitude Affects Conservatives’ Political Attitudes in the United States" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5655