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Kama Muta Evoked During Intergroup Contact Forms Common In-Groups and Improves Intergroup Relations

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Moving Out-Groups Closer: Kama Muta Evoked During Intergroup Contact Forms Common In-Groups and Improves Intergroup Relations Johanna K. Blomster Lyshol Submitted as a dissertation for the degree of PhD Department of Psychology Faculty of Social Sciences University of Oslo 2019 ii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisors, Beate and Lotte, for their support. I have been lucky for being able to work with extremely knowledgeable researchers in the areas of intergroup relations and emotions, which then has helped me combine my two research interests in this dissertation. Thank you for believing in me and helping me pursue my research interests, and also at times helping me understand what I’m actually trying to research. Further, I am grateful for the impeccable feedback from Thomas and Alan. I have become a better researcher because of your (at times very challenging) feedback. I would also like to give thanks to the wonderful people whom I’ve had the pleasure to share an office with. Janis, even though you started your PhD after me, I see you as a senior researcher. You are extremely good at what you do, and I am looking forward to attending conferences where you’re the keynote speaker. Thank you for answering all of my statistics questions, and just being a friend. Thank you, Olivia, Felix, and Evi for great conversations, it’s never a boring day at work when you’re at the office! The days at the office wouldn’t have been the same without the rest of the third floor. Thank you, Agnes, Guro, Jonas, and Knut Inge for the nice lunches and encouraging words, especially toward the end of my PhD! Also thank you, Erik, Nikolai, Magnus, and Thomas for the conversations we’ve had over beers, and letting me blow off some steam. I wouldn’t have pursued a career in academia without having the following two people in my life. Linn, my sister-in-law, who opened my eyes about academia when I was in high school, and Anine, my bachelor and master thesis supervisor, who encouraged me to pursue a career in academia. For this I am very grateful. I wouldn’t have been able to complete a PhD without my wonderful parents. Thank you äiti and pappa for supporting me through my studies, and being shamelessly proud of me even though you don’t completely understand what I’m doing. Lastly, thank you, Arne, my high school sweetheart who has been by my side through all my years at university, and will continue to be by my side for many years to come. You have celebrated my achievements with me, and comforted me during my rejections and set- backs. You have been there for me through thick and thin, when I have been in another country or even continent, and I am extremely grateful that you are in my life. I love you. iii Summary Kama muta, translated to moved by love in Sanskrit, is a positive social-relational emotion which is often denoted by terms such as moved, touched, or heart-warming. Theorizing on the elicitors and motivations of kama muta is based on Relational Models Theory, which proposes that humans coordinate according to four relational models, and that social relationships are intrinsically valuable for humans. As a way of evaluating the current state of a relationship, kama muta is evoked when the relational model of communal sharing (CS) is suddenly intensified. CS relations are characterized by interactions where people focus on what they have in common, making them socially equivalent. The motivational consequence of kama muta is to devote to CS relationships. This dissertation has investigated the motivational effect of kama muta on improving intergroup relations. The first paper investigated whether kama muta evoked by videos of out-group characters intensifying their CS relations would increase humanization of the characters and the group which they belong. Three studies showed that watching videos depicting out-group characters suddenly becoming closer, increased participants perceptions of them being part of a common human group. The second paper looked at kama muta evoked in connection with Norwegians or Norway as a nation among immigrants and its effect on their acculturation. Employing a mixed methods approach, paper 2 found that when immigrants felt kama muta from Norwegians helping them or perceiving Norway as welcoming, they were more motivated to devote themselves to Norway, and become similar to Norwegians. Lastly, the third paper examined kama muta evoked in connection with the US and its effect on attitudes toward oppositional partisans. Participants who saw a kama muta evoking video about US Americans coming together at the face of adversary agreed that Republicans and Democrats belong to the same US American group. This further improved their attitudes toward oppositional partisans. The findings of this dissertation are incorporated into a model which shows that when kama muta is evoked in connection with a group, or group member, one develops a CS relation with that group, by focusing on what one has in common with the out-group. By having this out-group as a part of one’s CS relation, one is motivated to coordinate their relation with out-groups in CS terms, by for example being socially close to them. This model incorporates kama muta theory into the common in-group identity model (Gaertner & Dovidio, 2000): Feeling kama muta is a component which affects the process of forming and recognizing common in-groups, which improves intergroup relations. iv List of Papers Blomster Lyshol, J. K., Seibt, B., & Thomsen, L. (2019). Moved by observing the love of others: Kama muta evoked through media foster humanization of out-groups. Manuscript submitted for publication. Blomster Lyshol, J. K., Pich, O., & Seibt, B. (2019). Moved in Norway: How kama muta affects immigrants’ acculturation experiences. Manuscript submitted for publication. Blomster Lyshol, J. K., Seibt, B., Oliver, M. B., & Thomsen, L. (2019). Moving out-partisans closer: How kama muta can contribute to closing the partisan divide in the US. Manuscript submitted for publication. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... ii Summary ................................................................................................................................... iii List of Papers ............................................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... v Moving Out-Groups Closer: Kama Muta Evoked During Intergroup Contact Forms Common In-Groups and Improves Intergroup Relations ........................................................................... 1 Relational Models Theory and the Formation of Groups........................................................... 2 Kama Muta and Its Relation with Other Emotions .................................................................... 5 Effect of Kama Muta on Intergroup Relations ........................................................................... 8 Intergroup Contact Theory ......................................................................................................... 9 Minority and Majority Perspectives ......................................................................................... 12 Theoretical Model and Aims of the Dissertation ..................................................................... 13 Overview of findings ................................................................................................................ 15 Paper 1: Moved by Observing the Love of Others: Kama Muta Evoked Through Media Foster Humanization of Out-Groups ............................................................................................................ 15 Paper 2: Moved in Norway: How Kama Muta Affects Immigrants’ Acculturation Experiences ..... 17 Paper 3: Moving Out-Partisans Closer: How Kama Muta Can Contribute to Closing the Partisan Divide in the US ................................................................................................................................ 19 Methodological and Ethical Considerations............................................................................. 21 Recruitment of Research Participants Through Crowdsourcing Platforms ....................................... 21 Pre-Registration ................................................................................................................................. 22 Exploratory and Confirmatory Research ........................................................................................... 24 Values Affecting the Formulation of Research Questions ................................................................ 25 The Use of Self-Report in Measuring Kama Muta ............................................................................ 26 General Discussion ................................................................................................................... 26 Kama Muta: An Integral Emotion Component in the Common In-Group Identity Model ............... 28 vi Kama Muta: Mediating the Cross-Group Friendships and Intergroup Relations Effect ................... 29 Kama Muta: Devoting CS Relations Outside of the Emotion Evoking Event .................................. 30 Using Kama Muta in Media Messaging ...........................................................................................
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