Psychologists identify “collective anti-mattering” as a key driver of modern political grievances
New research shows that feeling your social group is ignored by society triggers deep anger and anxiety. These emotions can lead to political mobilization, a desire for strong leaders, and support for punitive policies.
Psychologists have identified a phenomenon known as "collective anti-mattering" as a significant factor behind modern political grievances. This concept refers to the belief that a social group is treated as unimportant by others, either within or outside of their group. The research, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, examines how this feeling can lead to both group-based anger and collective anxiety about the future.
The study's lead researcher, Nassim Tabri from Carleton University, explained that collective anti-mattering expands on the idea of personal anti-mattering, which describes feeling unnoticed or unvalued by others. Earlier research on personal feelings of unimportance showed it predicts loneliness and depression. However, the researchers wanted to explore how this concept could impact group dynamics and politics.
In three separate studies, the researchers surveyed various participants, including Black American adults and Black British citizens, as well as White American adults representing both Democratic and Republican perspectives. The surveys measured the participants' sense of collective anti-mattering, individual anti-mattering, perceived injustice, group-based anger, collective angst, involvement in collective action, and support for strong leadership.
The results consistently showed that collective anti-mattering was distinct from personal anti-mattering and strongly predicted both group-based anger and collective angst. While both emotions predicted different outcomes, collective angst was linked to more frequent involvement in collective action, while group-based anger did not. Both emotions, however, predicted greater support for a strong leader.
Interestingly, the study found that feeling collectively disregarded is a separate experience from feeling that one's group is being explicitly controlled or treated as less than human. The findings suggest that collective anti-mattering can influence political life by motivating marginalized groups to demand recognition and advantaged groups to defend their status.
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