{"id":{"repo_id":"wfu","oai_identifier":"oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/90727"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/wfu/oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/90727","repository":{"repo_id":"wfu","name":"Wake Forest University","base_url":"https://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Challenging the Status Quo: System Justification Theory and Impressions of Activists","abstract":"Challenges to the societal status quo often garner partisan support along two sides: people who are for a cause and people who are against it. System justification motivations (SJM) serve as critical underlying factors in the maintenance of our current social system and the reception of challenges to the status quo (e.g., Jost & Banaji, 1994; Jost, Banaji, & Nosek, 2004). The current research built upon this understanding by investigating the influence of system justification motivation on the formation of impressions of sociopolitical activists. Our results indicated that under systemic challenge, the impression of the activist target was not significantly different from the non-activist target. However, when the system was affirmed, a strong positive impression of the activist target as was formed along an adventurous/reckless trait dimension, and the activist was also seen as more adventurous than non-activists in affirmation conditions. This work holds important implications for activists, suggesting that in contexts where the system they are working within is regarded positively, system challenging activists will be received in a positive manner. These results could directly impact how parties effectively communicate their stances in order to be heard by those that have opposing views.","abstract_html":"Challenges to the societal status quo often garner partisan support along two sides: people who are for a cause and people who are against it. System justification motivations (SJM) serve as critical underlying factors in the maintenance of our current social system and the reception of challenges to the status quo (e.g., Jost & Banaji, 1994; Jost, Banaji, & Nosek, 2004). The current research built upon this understanding by investigating the influence of system justification motivation on the formation of impressions of sociopolitical activists. Our results indicated that under systemic challenge, the impression of the activist target was not significantly different from the non-activist target. However, when the system was affirmed, a strong positive impression of the activist target as was formed along an adventurous/reckless trait dimension, and the activist was also seen as more adventurous than non-activists in affirmation conditions. This work holds important implications for activists, suggesting that in contexts where the system they are working within is regarded positively, system challenging activists will be received in a positive manner. These results could directly impact how parties effectively communicate their stances in order to be heard by those that have opposing views.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Spruill, Mikaela"],"institution":"Wake Forest University","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018","date_published":"2018","updated_at":"2026-07-27T22:02:17Z","subjects":["Person Perception"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10339/90727","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Spruill, Mikaela"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2018-05-24T08:36:09Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-05-23T08:30:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2018"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Wake Forest University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Person Perception"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10339/90727"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Challenges to the societal status quo often garner partisan support along two sides: people who are for a cause and people who are against it. System justification motivations (SJM) serve as critical underlying factors in the maintenance of our current social system and the reception of challenges to the status quo (e.g., Jost & Banaji, 1994; Jost, Banaji, & Nosek, 2004). The current research built upon this understanding by investigating the influence of system justification motivation on the formation of impressions of sociopolitical activists. Our results indicated that under systemic challenge, the impression of the activist target was not significantly different from the non-activist target. However, when the system was affirmed, a strong positive impression of the activist target as was formed along an adventurous/reckless trait dimension, and the activist was also seen as more adventurous than non-activists in affirmation conditions. This work holds important implications for activists, suggesting that in contexts where the system they are working within is regarded positively, system challenging activists will be received in a positive manner. These results could directly impact how parties effectively communicate their stances in order to be heard by those that have opposing views."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Challenging the Status Quo: System Justification Theory and Impressions of Activists"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Spruill, Mikaela"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2018-05-24T08:36:09Z"],"dc:date.available":["2020-05-23T08:30:19Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2018"],"dc:description.abstract":["Challenges to the societal status quo often garner partisan support along two sides: people who are for a cause and people who are against it. System justification motivations (SJM) serve as critical underlying factors in the maintenance of our current social system and the reception of challenges to the status quo (e.g., Jost & Banaji, 1994; Jost, Banaji, & Nosek, 2004). The current research built upon this understanding by investigating the influence of system justification motivation on the formation of impressions of sociopolitical activists. Our results indicated that under systemic challenge, the impression of the activist target was not significantly different from the non-activist target. However, when the system was affirmed, a strong positive impression of the activist target as was formed along an adventurous/reckless trait dimension, and the activist was also seen as more adventurous than non-activists in affirmation conditions. This work holds important implications for activists, suggesting that in contexts where the system they are working within is regarded positively, system challenging activists will be received in a positive manner. These results could directly impact how parties effectively communicate their stances in order to be heard by those that have opposing views."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10339/90727"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Wake Forest University"],"dc:subject":["Person Perception"],"dc:title":["Challenging the Status Quo: System Justification Theory and Impressions of Activists"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T22:02:17Z"}