Sentiments of the dispossessed: emotions of resilience and resistance

Abstract

In this chapter, we focus on the sentiments of the dispossessed with special interest in what emotion can tell us about the social and psychological meaning individuals and groups give to their societal disadvantage. Although it is true that societal disadvantage can sometimes lead the dispossessed to self-hatred or despondency (for discussions, see Bulhan, 1985; Sidanius & Pratto, 2001) this appears to be quite rare (for reviews, see Leach, in press b; Leach and Livingstone, 2015; Montero & Sonn, 2009; Phillips, Adams, & Salters, 2015). The more common experiences of societal disadvantage and devaluation are resilience and resistance. This is not surprising given the overwhelming evidence that the most serious and sustained adversity causes little lasting psychological or social damage to individuals (for a discussion, see Leach, in press b; Leach and Livingstone, 2015). Disadvantaged people – like all people – tend toward resilience and resistance