Stefano Passini

Exploring the Multidimensional Facets of Authoritarianism: Authoritarian Aggression and Social Dominance Orientation

The relation between authoritarianism and social dominance orientation was analyzed, with authoritarianism measured using a three-dimensional scale. The implicit multidimensional structure (authoritarian submission, conventionalism, authoritarian aggression) of Altemeyer’s (1981, 1988) conceptualization of authoritarianism is inconsistent with its one-dimensional methodological operationalization. The dimensionality of authoritarianism was investigated using confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of 713 university students. As hypothesized, the three-factor model fit the data significantly better than the one-factor model. Regression analyses revealed that only authoritarian aggression was related to social dominance orientation. That is, only intolerance of deviance was related to high social dominance, whereas submissiveness was not.

The delinquency-drug relationship: the influence of social reputation and moral disengagement.

A large number of studies have focused on the relationship between drug use and violent delinquency in adolescence. Most of these studies underline that even if substance use and delinquency often co-occur, they may result from common causes that increase the risk for both outcomes. In particular, the delinquency-drug relationship may be mediated both by the type of drug and the incidence of other variables. In this article, social reputation and moral disengagement are studied as predictors of both drug use and violent delinquency in a 336 adolescent participants. Results confirm the hypotheses that social reputation and moral disengagement predict drug use and delinquency and that heavy drug use predicts delinquency.

The facebook and Twitter revolutions: Active participation in the 21st century

In the past few years, a wave of protest has spread across the world. The particularity of these uprisings lies in the way the Internet is used to support them. Scholars have analyzed these movements as being closely related to a generation that relies on the Internet as a means of organizing themselves as a force of social change. That is, the Internet is seen as a way of promoting the active participation of young people in political issues. Public opinion and the mass media hail the Arab Spring revolutions as movements beneficial to the democratization of oppressive regimes. By contrast, when disobedient movements emerge in democratic countries, they are generally more cautious in evaluating these movements as enriching democracy. This cautious opinion also concerns the use of social media. In this article, the so-called Twitter revolutions are discussed in light of the theories of social psychology that analyze the relationship between disobedience and democracy.

Do perceptions of being treated fairly increase students’ outcomes? Teacher–student interactions and classroom justice in Italian adolescents

In this study, we have investigated the associations between the students’ perceptions of teachers’ interpersonal behaviour and some school outcomes – namely, academic achievement, learning motivation, and a sense of class belonging – considering the mediating role of classroom justice. Moreover, the impact of the school type was analysed. The research was performed on a population of 614 Italian students enrolled in 2 different types of secondary school, one with an academic orientation, the other with a vocational orientation. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to see the effect of the teachers’ behaviour on the dimensions of justice (i.e., equality, equity, needs, and interpersonal) and that of all these variables on academic achievement, learning motivation, and class belonging. The mediation role of classroom justice was confirmed by the analyses, and so was the impact of the schools orientation. Limitations to the study and future research ideas have also been outlined.

Individual responsibilities and moral inclusion in an age of rights

In reference to Western cultures, some scholars (see Finkel & Moghaddam, 2005) have pointed out that we live in an ‘‘age of rights.’’ That is, people attach priority to their individual rights within a narrow-minded, individualistic worldview and de-emphasize duties. Such self-centred individualism focuses on the rights of individuals, forgetting to consider that rights can be effective only in relation to corresponding duties. In this article, a psychosocial theory on psychological boundaries for fairness, norms, and moral rules—namely moral inclusion/exclusion theory—will be used as a useful theoretical framework to resolve the apparent antinomy of rights versus duties. In particular, the use of this theory is relevant in understanding that the issues of claiming and protecting human rights and the balance between each individual’s rights should be based on the concept of responsibility. In this sense, universality of human rights ought to deal with the universal recognition of other individuals and cultures and can be achieved only by means of intercultural dialogue.

Icon-function relationship in toolbar icons

Abstract Icons, widely used in computer programs, are part of the Graphical User Interface (GUI). They facilitate computer use regardless of users’ level of expertise. The authors report the results of a study focused on measuring performance of computer users in correctly and quickly associating toolbar icons and the action they represent in GUI. The study aimed to investigate the relationships between the rapidity of icon-function detection by user and user expertise, nature of icon (object or symbol) and context (appropriate, inappropriate, neutral). Findings indicated a scarce variation for different levels of expertise in relation to symbols, but only for icons depicting real-world objects, an overall better performance for objects and no significant response to the context. The discussion suggests future investigations in the field and offers practical considerations for GUI designers.

A binge-consuming culture: The effect of consumerism on social interactions in western societies:

We live in a “binge-consuming” culture. Indeed, a certain compulsion to consume seems to characterize not only the way in which people relate to the object world of luxury goods, but also the way we relate to other people, institutions and society in general. In this sense, the term “binge”—usually associated with addictions—may be also useful in identifying our consuming culture. The aim of this article is to discuss how the same psychological processes that are taken into account to explain binge compulsions may be applied to binge as a consumerist and utilitarian way of relating to others. In particular, four aspects characterizing binge addictions—present-time orientation, impulsiveness, the crisis of the relationship with authority and narcissism—may also be recognized in the “normal” way of approaching life and society.

Disobedience and support for democracy: Evidences from the World Values Survey

Abstract For some time, social movement research and political science have studied protests and activists. However, little empirical research attempts to relate movements to the type of social change they endeavour to achieve. In this paper, we suggest that different psychosocial processes may distinguish between different types of movement and protest. In particular, we cross lines between classical social psychology studies on the individual–authority relationship and studies on protest and social movements. We focus attention on the psychological processes triggered in obedience/disobedience. Our results show that when disobedience is associated with attitudes of inclusiveness, it is also positively linked to prodemocratic individual attitudes and to the enhancement of democracy at institutional levels.

Social Representations of Rights and Duties in Young Italians and Albanians

Rights and duties are normative social representations that organize social interactions. In this article, representations of rights and duties were analyzed in Italy and Albania, focusing on their social anchoring in culture and values. Italians underlined the priority of their individual rights over duties to others. Conversely, Albanians defined rights as focusing on the protection of fundamental individual freedoms and defined duties emphasizing the responsibilities of the individual and the family. The anchoring in value-types shows that people who attach importance to individualistic values conceived of rights in a self-centered manner, while those who attach importance to egalitarian values underscored their personal responsibilities in rights and duties.

Cleanliness/dirtiness, purity/impurity as social and psychological issues

The issue of cleanliness in its clean/dirty and pure/impure antinomies definitely has a social and cultural dimension. Some daily cleaning practices are indeed quite common actions in every culture and society, even if some differences in the frequency and quality of the practices and in the value attributed to them do exist. In this article, we will discuss how cleaning practices and contamination fears sink their roots in the social context and in cultural practices. In particular, we will explore the connections between ones own sense of cleanliness and attitudes of prejudice and intolerance toward other groups. First, the issue of cleanliness over the centuries and the exaggerations of cleanliness referring to individual psychopathology will be examined. Then, the psychosocial meaning of cleanliness will be considered in revealing the impact of the clean/dirty and pure/impure antinomies on day-to-day social interactions with others.