Footnote:
Nach Informationen von SSRN wurde die ursprüngliche Fassung des Dokuments 2009 erstellt
Description:
Threat is a pervasive concept in the study of international relations and the social sciences more generally, and its documented effects are remarkably consistent. Threat promotes intolerance, forges ingroup unity, and promotes some degree of cognitive “shutdown.” In this review, I consider the implications of threat research within the social sciences for the study of foreign policy opinion among the mass public, focusing on the psychology underlying the differing emotions of anger and anxiety. The review unfolds in several stages. First, the broad effects of threat on public opinion are considered and a number of threat-related constructs defined to better distinguish among threat studies. Second, psychological research on the emotions of anger and anxiety are introduced to add needed complexity to the study of threat. Third, research on the divergent political consequences of anger and anxiety for support of aggressive military action is reviewed. Fourth, I consider the origins of anger in response to collective threats. Fifth, I explore the origins of anxiety in direct personal threat and briefly consider gender differences in anxiety and war support. Finally, I discuss the broad implications of complex threat reactions for research on foreign policy attitudes