General Resistance Orientation: Scale Development and Validation

Social dominance theory (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999) posits that members of subordinate groups, who report high levels of social dominance orientation (SDO; support for maintaining status hierarchies), can agree with dominant-created hierarchy-enhancing norms contributing to maintaining group hierarchies. Linking SDT and the interpersonal power interaction model (Raven et al., 1998), the present study aimed at testing the subordinate’s contribution to sustaining inequalities among groups. Performing a cross-lagged longitudinal study, and using Bayesian estimation, we examined the role of SDO as an antecedent to subordinates’ acquiescence to harsh power tactics. Subordinates can comply with harsh power tactics for sustaining their subordination within hierarchies. We administered to a sample of students a self-report questionnaire with a prime condition. We asked students to imagine a future situation in which they will be supervised for their bachelor’s degree by a professor (supervisor). We measured, in two different times, students’ SDO and their willingness in acquiescing to harsh power tactics potentially used by their supervisor. Confirming our hypothesis, we found that subordinates’ SDO measured at time 1 predicts their acquiescence to harsh power tactics measured at time 2, controlling for the initial level of SDO. We did not find the support that subordinates’ acquiescence to harsh power tactics measured at time 1 predicts SDO measured at time 2 controlling for their initial level of acquiescence to harsh tactics. In accordance with SDT, results confirmed that high-SDO subordinates acquiesce to harsh and coercive power tactics as means for supporting the stability of hierarchies.