Degrowth Movement Ideological stances and sociocognitive mechanisms that affect its growth

Published: 6 October 2021| Version 1 | DOI: 10.17632/d2tzpdswkf.1
Contributor:
Efstathios Kontos

Description

With the present study we attempted to examine the sociocognitive elaborations of the receivers who are exposed to antinormative argumentation of the degrowth movement, and the potential representation of the source/supporters, while testing the hypothesis that these elaborations mediate the relationship between ideological orientation and the participants’ implicit theories of social influence with the overall attitude expression. Degrowth challenges the prevalent values, imaginaries and representations of western societies and at the same time the defenders of such positions, lack in social resources and ascendancy. Furthermore, by choosing that topic, it is assumed that we succeeded in rebridging the gap between social influence research and social movements. As it emerges, conservative, non politicized and majorcentrist participants, deem degrowth less desirable, feasible, and necessary than progressive, politicized and antimajorcentrist subjects, by evaluating the content of the arguments, as weaker. Based on these findings, we could argue that valid doubts came up, about the secure use of “arguments quality effect”, as mean of measuring the elaboration of the messages, especially if the latter has antinormative content. Equally interesting findings emerge from the results regarding representation of the source, in terms of identity and assessment. The identity representation of the positions’ source is characterized by fluidity and the positions are attributed to collective subjects, even at cross-purposes conflicting, in terms of politics (wide left, anti-authoritarianists), class (higher, middle and lower strata), social practice (ecologists, activists), subject knowledge (specialists) and age (the youth). Lastly, we discuss the importance and the limitations of these findings

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Institutions

Panteion Panepistemio Koinonikon kai Politikon Epistemon

Categories

Social Psychology, Political Ideology, Ideology, Social Influence, Minority Group, Social Innovation

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