Old and New Anti-Semitic Attitudes in the Context of Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation - Two Studies in Germany

In: Peace and conflict: journal of peace psychology ; the journal of the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence, Peace Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association, Band 11, Heft 3, S. 239-266

Abstract

On the basis of a new heuristic model of anti-Semitism, researchers are able to distinguish between new & old aspects of anti-Semitic attitudes. The results of two studies suggest that anti-Semitism in Germany contains very different aspects & the data fit the new theoretical model. Both traditional aspects, like "manifest anti-Semitism," as well as new forms of anti-Semitic attitudes, like "latent anti-Semitism," "rejection of responsibility for Jews," "anti-Israeli attitudes," & "anti-Zionism," were found. Furthermore, we identified various anti-Semitic attitudes with different predictive elements. Individuals with extreme anti-Semitic attitudes differ significantly from those without anti-Semitic attitudes with regard to the extent of authoritarianism, readiness for violence, approval of the repetition of National Socialism, & political orientation. The comparison between the two general concepts, authoritarianism & social dominance orientation, demonstrated that authoritarianism has greater utility in explaining separate aspects of old & new anti-Semitic attitudes. The implications of these findings are discussed. Tables, Figures, Appendixes, References. Adapted from the source document.