Open dominance beliefs survive only among those with old-fashioned racism

Evidence

Finally, the most distinctive construct in social dominance theory is the belief that subordinate groups should be kept in their proper place, by force if necessary. This dominance construct is measured with such items as, “Inferior groups should stay in their place” and “Sometimes other groups must be kept in their place.” Dominance and opposition to group equality are not highly correlated, so they should be considered as conceptually separate components of social dominance orientation. The notion of “dominance” is overwhelmingly rejected by White Americans; in one survey, only 15 percent of Whites accepted it (Sears et al., 2000). “Dominance” is peripheral to contemporary partisan and racial politics. It does not correlate strongly with political-party identification, political ideology, or racial policy preferences. It does, however, correlate significantly with old-fashioned racism, which also has little remaining acceptance or political influence in today’s society (Sears et al., 2000; Sears & Henry, in press). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2183