Inaction versus action in response to collective disadvantage

Larger project:

• ..

In this program of research I study determinants of inaction in response to different types of disadvantage (e.g., as ethnic minority, student). People often do not act out against experiences of disadvantage, such as when they are a target of discrimination. Why is this the case? And can we distinguish and predict different forms of inaction (e.g., acceptance, frustration)? I have taken different approaches here, one being to focus on the role of Just World Beliefs in responding to disadvantage (Stroebe et al., 2011; Stroebe, 2013). Taking a more applied approach, I have also studied responses to earthquakes in the North-East Groningen area (Otjes, Stroebe, & Postmes, 2014).

Researchers:

• Simon Otjes (RUG)
• Tom Postmes (RUG)
• John Dovidio (UU)
• Naomi Ellemers (UU)
• Manuela Barreto (University of Exeter)
• Melissa Sue John (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

Educational program of the department:

• Bachelor theses
• Master theses

Names of courses:

Topics of bachelor theses:

• inaction in response to the Groningen earthquakes?

Topics of master theses:

• BJW and discrimination

Cooperations exist within the department:

• Simon Otjes (RUG)
• om Postmes (RUG)

Cooperations exist within faculty, university, (inter)nationally:

• John Dovidio (UU)
• Naomi Ellemers (UU)
• Manuela Barreto (University of Exeter)
• Melissa Sue John (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

Representative publications:

• Stroebe, K., Wang, K., & Wright, S. (2015). Future directions in confronting disadvantage: moving from individual coping to societal change”. Journal of Social Issues, 71, 633-645.
  Stroebe, K. (2013). Motivated Inaction: When collective disadvantage does not induce collective action. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43, 1963–2167.
  
• Wang, K., Stroebe, K., & Dovidio, J.F. (2012). Stigma consciousness and prejudice ambiguity: Can it be adaptive to perceive the world as biased? Personality and Individual Differences, 53, 241-245.
  Stroebe, K., Dovidio, J.F., Barreto, M., Ellemers, N., & John, M.S. (2011). Is the world a just place? Countering the negative consequences of pervasive discrimination by reaffirming the world as just. British Journal of Social Psychology, 50, 484–500.

Successful grant proposals or other achievements:

PhD projects or smaller reserach projects

Theme:

University's focus areas:

• Sustainable Society

Other information, worth spreading, e.g. existing web sites:

• Our special issue related to this topic: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/josi.2015.71.issue-3/issuetoc