Individuals in movements: a social psychology of contention

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Abstract

This chapter is an update of our 2007 chapter Individuals in movements: a social psychology of contention. In that chapter we described fundamental social psychological processes―social identity, social cognition, emotions and motivation―as they were employed in the context of social movement participation. However, the world of protest has changed profoundly since 2007. Virtualization and individualization gave the world a new ‘virtual look’, and we observe as much protest as in the roaring ‘60s. It is therefore not surprising that the social psychology of protest has expanded since 2007; both theoretically and empirically. This chapter is an attempt to synthesize recent efforts, and update the assessment of where we are. To do so, we refreshed the whole chapter. Therewith the main section of this chapter focuses on social psychological approaches of movement participation―the antecedent of protest. A much smaller section deals with the consequences of protest. The central question in the section on antecedents is “Why do some people protest, while others don’t?” We will discuss how the social psychological processes of social identity, social cognition, emotions and motivation affect protest participation. The central question in the section on consequences is “Why do people keep on participating in protest although it does not often effectuate the demanded political claims?” We will discuss how such matters as disengagement, empowerment, and increased politicization help or hinder sustained participation. In doing so, we provide an overview of what social psychology has to offer to the study of antecedents and consequences of protest, where we stand and where we think the lacunas are. We end with the challenges a social psychology of movement participation faces.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook of Social Movements Across Disciplines
EditorsConny Roggeband, Bert Klandermans
PublisherSpringer
Chapter5
Pages103-140
Number of pages36
Edition2nd
ISBN (Electronic)9783319576480
ISBN (Print)9783319576473, 9783319977904
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Publication series

NameHandbooks of Sociology and Social Research (HSSR)
PublisherSpringer

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