THE EFFECTS OF PRIMING PATRIOTISM ON ATTITUDES TOWARD IMMIGRANTS: DO ALL AMERICANS RESPOND TO PATRIOTIC IMAGES THE SAME WAY?
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Date
2018-12-04Author
Garza Reyes, Norma Elizabeth
0000-0003-2443-3209
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Although immigrants enrich the US culture and provide intellectual and economic stimulation, there has been a rise of anti-immigration movements, making the acculturation process more difficult for the immigrant. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how patriotism influenced negative attitudes toward immigrants, especially among individuals who were higher on right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), national identity, and/or group narcissism. This thesis study addressed these issues by priming patriotism with unpatriotic and patriotic pictures and then examining attitudes toward immigrants/immigration. This data (N = 192) linked self-reported individual difference measures (e.g., right-wing authoritarianism (RWA)) of college students that was collected prior to the lab visit. Results showed that, on average, those who were primed with patriotic images did have more negative attitudes toward immigrants than those in the neutral picture condition. Additionally, students higher on RWA held a more negative mindset toward immigration, especially if they were also higher on group narcissism. This project provided important evidence that “exclusionary patriotism” can lead to intolerance toward immigrants/immigration.