Do we need a strong captain to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic? Social identification, conspiracy theory beliefs, and the wish for a strong leader
IntroductionIn times of great uncertainty and hardship, calls for a strong leader tend to arise. The present study delved into this issue by examining possible sociopsychological antecedents of the wish for a strong leader during the COVID-19 crisis.MethodsWe examined the role of social identificati...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1100519/full |
| _version_ | 1811169516120440832 |
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| author | Silvia Moscatelli Anna Rita Graziani Lucia Botindari Stefano Ciaffoni Michela Menegatti |
| author_facet | Silvia Moscatelli Anna Rita Graziani Lucia Botindari Stefano Ciaffoni Michela Menegatti |
| author_sort | Silvia Moscatelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionIn times of great uncertainty and hardship, calls for a strong leader tend to arise. The present study delved into this issue by examining possible sociopsychological antecedents of the wish for a strong leader during the COVID-19 crisis.MethodsWe examined the role of social identification, belief in conspiracy theories related to COVID-19, and trust in various relevant social actors in a sample of 350 Italian citizens.ResultsStructural equation modeling analyses showed that identification with Italians was related to a lower wish for a strong leader through the mediation of trust. Identification with Europeans had a direct and negative association with the wish for a strong leader. Finally, greater endorsement of conspiracy beliefs was related to a greater wish for a strong leader, directly and through diminished trust.DiscussionThese findings suggest that belief in conspiracy theories might drive individuals to depart from democratic principles, whereas relying on meaningful social identities can effectively contrast possible authoritarian turns brought about by a global societal crisis, such as the coronavirus outbreak. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:43:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d9afa17b685b491eb06dea096a978e62 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:43:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-d9afa17b685b491eb06dea096a978e622023-02-08T04:33:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782023-02-011410.3389/fpsyg.2023.11005191100519Do we need a strong captain to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic? Social identification, conspiracy theory beliefs, and the wish for a strong leaderSilvia Moscatelli0Anna Rita Graziani1Lucia Botindari2Stefano Ciaffoni3Michela Menegatti4Department of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Communication and Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, ItalySAIS Europe, Johns Hopkins University, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyIntroductionIn times of great uncertainty and hardship, calls for a strong leader tend to arise. The present study delved into this issue by examining possible sociopsychological antecedents of the wish for a strong leader during the COVID-19 crisis.MethodsWe examined the role of social identification, belief in conspiracy theories related to COVID-19, and trust in various relevant social actors in a sample of 350 Italian citizens.ResultsStructural equation modeling analyses showed that identification with Italians was related to a lower wish for a strong leader through the mediation of trust. Identification with Europeans had a direct and negative association with the wish for a strong leader. Finally, greater endorsement of conspiracy beliefs was related to a greater wish for a strong leader, directly and through diminished trust.DiscussionThese findings suggest that belief in conspiracy theories might drive individuals to depart from democratic principles, whereas relying on meaningful social identities can effectively contrast possible authoritarian turns brought about by a global societal crisis, such as the coronavirus outbreak.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1100519/fullsocial identificationconspiracy theories beliefCOVID-19wish for a strong leadertrust |
| spellingShingle | Silvia Moscatelli Anna Rita Graziani Lucia Botindari Stefano Ciaffoni Michela Menegatti Do we need a strong captain to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic? Social identification, conspiracy theory beliefs, and the wish for a strong leader Frontiers in Psychology social identification conspiracy theories belief COVID-19 wish for a strong leader trust |
| title | Do we need a strong captain to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic? Social identification, conspiracy theory beliefs, and the wish for a strong leader |
| title_full | Do we need a strong captain to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic? Social identification, conspiracy theory beliefs, and the wish for a strong leader |
| title_fullStr | Do we need a strong captain to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic? Social identification, conspiracy theory beliefs, and the wish for a strong leader |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do we need a strong captain to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic? Social identification, conspiracy theory beliefs, and the wish for a strong leader |
| title_short | Do we need a strong captain to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic? Social identification, conspiracy theory beliefs, and the wish for a strong leader |
| title_sort | do we need a strong captain to navigate the covid 19 pandemic social identification conspiracy theory beliefs and the wish for a strong leader |
| topic | social identification conspiracy theories belief COVID-19 wish for a strong leader trust |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1100519/full |
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