Anti-abortion rhetoric and the undermining of choice: Women’s agency as causing “psychological trauma” following the termination of a pregnancy

Historically the anti-abortion movement has opposed abortions through reference to the fetus' human status. However, recently there has been a rhetorical shift whereby abortion is criticized based on its alleged negative psychological impact on women, with some authors voicing concerns related to this medicalized repertoire undermining women's capacity to act as rational decision-makers. However, no research to date has systematically analyzed how women’s agency over their abortions features in anti-abortion rhetoric. In this discourse analysis of interviews with 15 anti-abortion supporters, I explore how psychological concepts are employed to indirectly undermine women's agency to abort. Participants construct the termination of a pregnancy as psychologically damaging when women’s agency is evident (e.g., in abortions or rape pregnancy abortions). Also women's choice appears as enforced by society, victimizing them and removing accountability over it. However, unintentional termination (e.g., miscarriage) is constructed as “natural” and psychologically harmless due to the lack of agency. Overall, the pathologization of abortion through reference to psychological trauma stemming from the exercise of agency allows anti-abortionists to naturalize motherhood and oppose abortions in an “objective”, depoliticized, non-restrictive, and pro-woman manner, without explicitly disregarding women’s ability to choose or breaching Western norms of autonomy and freedom of choice

PhD supervisors and faculty members might help to avoid burnout as well as enhance engagement and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) among PhD students.

There has been increased interest in the wellbeing and mental health of postgraduate students in light of the recent portrayal of the academic career as overworked and isolated. Research points to PhD students as being particularly at risk, yet the factors that contribute to PhD students’ compromised wellbeing are unclear. In this study (N = 392), we combine the social cure approach in social psychology with advances in organizational psychology to investigate potential predictors of work-related wellbeing and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) among PhD studentsin the UK. In particular, we explore the relationships between social support, willingness to support others, clarity of role, group belonging, engagement, and burnout using structural equation modelling (SEM). Our results point to the importance of support provided by both the supervisor and faculty members in helping to avoid burnout and enhance engagement among students. We also found that students’ identification with supervisors and faculty members together with clarity of role are positively associated with students’ work-related well-being. Moreover, although particular processes differ for early vs. late stage PhD students, our findings suggest that support from faculty members is a key predictor of intentions to perform OCB. Thus, received support is positively related to performing OCB both directly and indirectly via a sense of identification with faculty members. We discuss the implications of our findings in relation to policies aiming at improving the well-being of PhD students

Glass children: The lived experiences of siblings of people with a disability or chronic illness

Siblings of disabled or chronically ill children are often hidden family members and their needs for support might not be met. Current research however is limited in its understanding of siblings' lived experiences. This study uses semi-structured interviews to explore the lived experiences of 16 individuals (referred to as siblings) who grew up with a disabled or chronically ill brother or sister. Participants reflected on their childhood and adolescent experiences as siblings, focusing on their social interactions and relationships, social support, and wellbeing. Using thematic analysis, we identified four distinct but theoretically related themes; participants experienced (a) feelings of invisibility during social interactions, (b) psychological difficulties due to the internalisation of family roles or life conditions, and (c) feelings of guilt and self-blame. Finally, (d) social support was central as siblings were sometimes unable to understand their own needs, and support from family and peer groups helped them have their negative experiences validated. Our findings suggest greater support for siblings is required with a focus on addressing negative feelings and the availability of social support from people with similar experiences

Impresarios of identity: How the leaders of Czechoslovakia's ‘Candlelight Demonstration’ enabled effective collective action in a context of repression

This paper presents an analysis of identity leadership (Haslam et al., The new psychology of leadership: Identity, influence and power, Routledge, 2020) in the 1988 ‘Candlelight Demonstration’ in Bratislava which was a precursor to the 1989 Velvet Revolution. The analysis is based on interviews with the five remaining leaders of the demonstration and addresses three core issues. First, how leaders use performative means (identity impresarioship) as well as limited rhetorical means (identity entrepreneurship) to assemble protestors and create a sense of shared identity amongst them. Second, how these strategies of mobilization are linked to the highly repressive context in which the demonstration took place. Third, we analyse the extent to which these strategies are rooted in a psychological understanding of the processes of mobilization. We conclude by addressing the implications for our general understanding of leadership and the mobilization of collective action and the need for more research into these processes under conditions of repression

Public behaviour in response to the Covid-19 pandemic: Understanding the role of group processes

Background In the absence of a vaccine, behaviour by the public is key to the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, as with other types of crises and emergencies, there have been doubts about the extent to which the public are able to engage effectively with the required behaviour. These doubts are based on outdated models of group psychology. Aims and argument We analyse the role of group processes in the Covid-19 pandemic in three domains: recognition of threat; adherence by the public to the required public health behaviours (and the factors that increase such adherence); and actions of the many community mutual aid groups that arose during lockdown. In each case, we draw upon the accumulated research on behaviour in emergencies and disasters as well as the latest findings in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic to show that explanations in terms of social identity processes make better sense of the patterns of evidence than alternative explanations. Conclusion If behaviour in the pandemic is a function of mutable group processes rather than fixed tendencies, then behavioural change is possible. There was evidence of significant change in behaviour from the public, particularly in the early days of the pandemic. Understanding the role of group processes means we can help design more effective interventions to support collective resilience in the public in the face of the pandemic and other threats. We draw out from the evidence a set of recommendations on facilitating the public response to Covid-19 by harnessing group processes

What lies beyond social capital? the role of social psychology in building community resilience to climate change

Climate change is increasing the prevalence and impact of extreme events, which may have severe psychosocial after-effects for the people and communities who are affected. To mitigate their impact, governments advocate developing community resilience. Most approaches to community resilience employ the concept of social capital, suggesting that communities with more dense pre-existing networks of trust and reciprocity are more likely to prepare for, respond to, and recover more effectively from disasters. Notwithstanding its benefits, we argue that social capital cannot account for microprocesses of disaster behaviour such as groups that emerge in absence of any pre-existing ties and provide social support. We propose a new conceptualisation of aspects of community resilience based on the social identity approach in social psychology and grounded upon the principles of collective psychosocial resilience – the way that shared identification allows groups to emerge, coordinate, express solidarity and provide social support. We argue that our approach overcomes the limitations of social capital, because it can explain the processes of group behaviour in disasters, acknowledges people’s propensity to organise collectively, promotes bottom-up approaches to community resilience, recognises emergent communities, and suggests evidence-based recommendations for policy and practice. Finally, we propose an agenda for future research

A warrant for violence? An analysis of Donald Trump's speech before the US Capitol attack

On January 6th, 2021, Donald Trump's speech during a ‘Save America’ rally was followed by mass violence, with Trump's supporters storming the U.S. Capitol to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. In its wake, there was a great deal of debate around whether the speech contained direct instructions for the subsequent violence. In this paper, we use a social identity perspective on leadership (and more specifically, on toxic leadership) to analyse the speech and see how its overall argument relates to violence. We show that Trump's argument rests on the populist distinction between the American people and elites. He moralises these groups as good and evil respectively and proposes that the very existence of America is under threat if the election result stands. On this basis he proposes that all true Americans are obligated to act in order prevent Biden's certification and to ensure that the good prevails over evil. While Trump does not explicitly say what such action entails, he also removes normative and moral impediments to extreme action. In this way, taken as a whole, Trump's speech enables rather than demands violence and ultimately it provides a warrant for the violence that ensued

Harnessing shared identities to mobilise resilient responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

Shared social identifications (family, community, nation, humanity) predict normative actions and psychological well-being, and can be invoked discursively by leaders to mobilise their followers. We illustrate the potential for harnessing shared identities to mobilise resilient public responses against COVID-19. Study 1 explored which patterns of social identification predicted protective behaviours (personal hygiene, physical distancing), prosocial actions (helping proximal and distal others), and psychological well-being (mental well-being, depressive symptoms, anxiety), among 560 UK adults surveyed during lockdown. Study 2 contrasted Prime Minister Ardern’s use of identity-based rhetoric to mobilise New Zealanders, with Prime Minister Johnson’s use of individualistic appeals to the UK public. Our findings suggest how political leaders might beneficially use social identities in communications about extreme events

How participation in Covid‐19 mutual aid groups affects subjective well‐being and how political identity moderates these effects

Mutual aid groups have flourished during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, a major challenge is sustaining such groups, which tend to decline following the initial upsurge immediately after emergencies. The present study investigates one possible motivation for continued participation: the well-being benefits associated with psychological membership of groups, as suggested by the “social cure” approach. Interviews were conducted with 11 volunteers in a mutual aid group organized by ACORN, a community union and anti-poverty campaigning organization. Through qualitative analysis, we show that participation provided well-being in different ways: positive emotional experiences, increased engagement in life, improved social relationships, and greater sense of control. Participants also reported some negative emotional experiences. While all interviewees experienced benefits from participation, those who viewed their participation through a political lens were able to experience additional benefits such as feelings of empowerment. Moreover, the benefits conferred by a shared political identity appeared to be qualitatively different from the benefits conferred by other forms of shared identity. The interview data is used to hypothesize an overall process by which participants may come to attain a political identity via mutual aid. These findings have implications for how such groups retain their members and how authorities support these groups