A wolf in sheep's clothing? The interplay of perceived threat and social norms in hierarchy-maintaining action tendencies towards disadvantaged groups.

ABSTRACT: Almost inherently, helping occurs between people with disparate resources. Consequently, the helping dynamic can reinforce power hierarchies, particularly regarding dependency-oriented helping (that preserves the power hierarchy) rather than autonomy-oriented helping (that may level power hierarchies). We posit that perceived social norms regarding helping disadvantaged groups affect the tendencies to help versus discriminate. Specifically, individuals who feel threatened by disadvantaged groups may conform to social norms by offering dependency-oriented help, thus preserving hierarchy while ostensibly adhering to societal expectations. Data from three correlational studies and one longitudinal study conducted in Germany (Studies 1a, 2a and 2b) and Israel (Study 1b) (combined N = 960) show

SUBMITTER: Knab N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11912525 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature