The Psychology of Political Activity

This study examines the attitudes of citizens to actions that might be taken under hypothetical conditions of governmental oppression. A technique called Polarized Sub group Analysis (PSA) was used to divide a national sample of adults into groups that varied in the amount of systemic pun ishment that they had experienced. Those who had experi enced greater amounts of systemic punishment were less politi cally active and more rigid in the modes of action that they had utilized. They were more rigid psychologically and had higher levels of endorsement of official internal and international uses of force. A theory of reduced alternatives is proposed, which hypothe sizes that systemic punishment leads to a reduction in political activity as well as behavioral and psychological rigidity. It is this rigidity that leads to anxiety over complex situations and increased dependency upon and subsequent identification with authority to reduce the anxiety. This identification then re sults in greater endorsement of official uses of force, as well as reduced opposition to governmental oppression. Opposition to government requires a wide range of political alternatives, which reduces anxiety and dependence and the need for identi fication. The conditions under which withdrawal (alienation) may occur are briefly discussed. Evidence is given that non- whites in the United States do not identify with authority.