Ambiguity in harm perceptions lets dominant groups minimize inequality and ease their collective guilt.

Evidence

However, because the extent and morality of harm are likely to be ambiguous in many real-world contexts, motivational pressures are likely to influence perceptions of social reality. For men and other dominant social groups, the motivation to see the ingroup as positively distinct from other groups is likely to lead to minimization of both the degree and illegitimacy of inequality and harm done (Schmitt et al., 2003). In addition, the wider political context determines what moral violations are important and can serve to focus attention (or not) on past wrongs and present injustices. Because the nature and content of political debate tend to reflect the interests of privileged social groups (e.g., through the mass media; Herman & Comsky, 1988; Lewis, 2001), mainstream culture is likely to contain beliefs and ideologies that serve to minimize inequality and injustice. Therefore, the potential intensity of collective guilt is reduced. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 592

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Illegitimacy of group inequality is a necessary precondition for collective guilt. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 572; Advantaged groups avoid guilt by denying inequality or dodging responsibility — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 1844; Highly identified group members minimize collective guilt by morally reinterpreting ingroup wrongs — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2278 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Advantaged groups avoid guilt by denying inequality or dodging responsibility #expands (0.88) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 1844
• Perceiving a group’s wrongdoing as situationally justifiable blocks collective guilt #corroborates (0.85) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 297
• Perceived justification of ingroup harm blocks collective guilt regardless of harm severity #corroborates (0.82) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 156
• Moral disengagement mechanisms enable justification of in-group harm. #expands (0.80) — Sonia Roccas and Yechiel Klar and Ido Liviatan, The Paradox of Group-Based Guilt, 47
• Highly identified group members minimize collective guilt by morally reinterpreting ingroup wrongs #qualifies (0.78) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2278
• Group decision making lets members discount their share of collective harm #expands (0.76) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 429