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Title
The defiance and defense of group norms: why extremism is the bread and butter of social life
Creator
Abrams, Dominic
Date Created and/or Issued
2008-04-06
Publication Information
Claremont Graduate University. School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences
Contributing Institution
Claremont Colleges Library
Collection
Lectures on Applied Psychology and Evaluation Science
Rights Information
Physical rights are retained by the institution. Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. Copyright laws.
Description
Dr. Dominic Abrams presents his research on the way people react to extreme, or 'deviant' members of their own and other groups. Group psychology has long established that deviants tend to be rejected within groups, but there are many times when they serve another important function, namely to define the limits of what it means to be a group member. This way, deviants can on the one hand be used to constrain other members, and on the other to test just how fanatical members can be before they are judged to be 'extreme'. Based on his research, using laboratory experiments and field studies with adults and children, Dr. Abrams states the need to distinguish between different types of deviance (descriptive and prescriptive), and that the magnitude and direction of deviance have separate implications for the way deviant members are treated. The developmental research also shows that responses to deviants require quite complex forms of social reasoning, including advanced perspective taking skills and understanding who the audience is. Taken together, Dr. Abrams’ research shows how extremists both create and reduce uncertainty, and why they are so important in relations within and between social groups.
Type
moving image
Format
video/mp4
video/h264; video/quicktime
video/f4v
Identifier
lap00040
http://ccdl.claremont.edu/cdm/ref/collection/lap/id/50
Language
English
Subject
Social psychology
Social deviance
Uncertainty
Social exclusion
Morality
Loyalty
Extremism
Source
Original video: Digital video cassette; 60 minute DVM; Tape 2; recorded symposium presentation entitled, "The defiance and defense of group norms: Why extremism is the bread and butter of social life" from the symposium entitled, "Extremism and the Psychology of Uncertainty" April 06, 2008
Relation
Extremism and the Psychology of Uncertainty
Claremont Graduate University's Stauffer Symposium Series
Claremont Graduate University Lectures on Applied Psychology and Evaluation Science

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