Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Neuroscience
  • About
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Social Psychology Political Psychology

Messages of individual blame for black Americans perpetuate racial inequality

by SAGE Publications
July 8, 2015
in Political Psychology
Photo credit: Army Medicine

Photo credit: Army Medicine

Share on TwitterShare on Facebook
Don't miss out! Follow PsyPost on Bluesky!

A recent CDC report calls into question the widely reported belief that Black fathers are more absent in their children’s lives than White fathers – showing that while more Black fathers live apart from their children, they are just as involved with their children as members of other racial groups in the same living situations. So why is it that messages about Black absentee fathers, such as Obama’s 2008 Father’s Day address, are so pervasive in society?

A new paper, published today in Social Psychological and Personality Science, suggests that such messages align with broader beliefs that Black Americans place too much blame on “the system” and instead need to hear messages that encourage individual responsibility. A consequence of that, the researchers say, is that they perpetuate structural racial inequalities.

Phia Salter of Texas A&M University and her colleagues were interested in President Obama’s well-known speech on absentee dads, in large part because it was delivered in a predominately African-American church. “We were interested in whether the individual blame account of missing Black fathers gained attention because it was given in front of a Black audience,” she explains. “We thought it may not be just what President Obama said in his speech, but to whom he said it to that mattered.” It struck them that many of the critiques of his speech for ignoring societal factors were largely coming from the Black community (even this recent Op-ed).

So led by then-grad students Kelly Hirsch and Luyen Thai, Salter join efforts with her colleague Rebecca Schlegel to design several studies that investigated the interactions between messaging, audience and third-party perceptions. First, to measure general perceptions, they surveyed participants online about whether they thought various groups (e.g., Black, White, Latino, Democrats, Women) believe that society is fair. The participants thought that Blacks reject the idea that society is fair and do so more than other groups.

In a second study, the researchers asked participants to read a statement about racial inequality that either suggested that racial disparities stem from failures and inadequacies of individuals or from failures and inadequacies of systems. They then asked participants to what extent they thought various groups needed or wanted each message. They found that third-party observers preferred individual blame messages delivered to Black audiences, as this is what they perceived Black audiences ”need to hear.”

In a third set of studies to experimentally test these perceptions, the researchers asked participants to read and respond to an excerpt from a speech given to either a Black or a White audience. The speech was actually an excerpt from Obama’s 2008 Father’s Day speech that was either the original text emphasizing personal responsibility or an edited version emphasizing a systemic account of missing fathers.

“We found that believing the speech was being delivered to a Black versus White audience increased the appeal of an individual blame account of the speech but not a system blame version of the speech,” Salter says. “Although politicians and others who deliver speeches are likely to take into account who may be listening, prior social psychological research had not considered how third parties might take into account the audience’s racial composition.”

The implication of this work – that people think that Black Americans have a tendency to blame the system too much and are in need of messages that counteract their perceptions of injustice – is troubling for two at least reasons, Salter says. “First, by minimizing or ignoring the ways in which structural inequality persists, we are unlikely to search for, endorse or enact solutions that might address these forms of societal problems.”

Second, she says, targeting Black Americans with the idea that they caused their own circumstances by not working hard enough “reinforces the idea that Blacks are ultimately responsible for their own disadvantage, even when structural inequalities persist.” Therefore, these individual blame messages are detrimental to efforts to create a fair and just society.

The work fits in with previous research that suggests that events that represent exceptional accomplishments of a few minority group members are used to demonstrate that race does not matter and, in turn, render policies that address racial inequality irrelevant. Following Obama’s presidential victory, for example, researchers found that people were more likely to conclude that racism was less of a problem and expressed decreased support for policies aimed at furthering racial equality.

Heading into the next Presidential election, this research is an important reminder to be critical consumers of information, Salter says. “Political messages are encoded with a lot of information and the perceived audience is also a part of the message,” she says. “People make judgments about whether political speeches contain the ‘right’ message for the right audience. We should all take a step back and evaluate why we think a particular message is ‘right’ for a certain audience.”

TweetSendScanShareSendPinShareShareShareShareShare

RELATED

New psychology study sheds light on mysterious “feelings of presence” during isolation
Political Psychology

People who think “everyone agrees with me” are more likely to support populism

July 1, 2025

People who wrongly believe that most others share their political views are more likely to support populist ideas, according to a new study. These false beliefs can erode trust in democratic institutions and fuel resentment toward political elites.

Read moreDetails
Radical leaders inspire stronger devotion because they make followers feel significant, study finds
Political Psychology

Radical leaders inspire stronger devotion because they make followers feel significant, study finds

June 28, 2025

A new study finds that voters are more motivated by radical political leaders than moderates, because supporting bold causes makes them feel personally significant—driving greater activism, sacrifice, and long-term engagement across elections in the United States and Poland.

Read moreDetails
Political ambivalence has a surprising relationship with support for violence
Authoritarianism

New study sheds light on the psychological roots of collective violence

June 21, 2025

A new study from Lebanon finds that people with authoritarian beliefs tend to oppose violence against political leaders, while those high in social dominance orientation are more likely to support violence against rival group members.

Read moreDetails
Epistemic mistrust and dogmatism predict preference for authoritarian-looking leaders
Authoritarianism

Epistemic mistrust and dogmatism predict preference for authoritarian-looking leaders

June 20, 2025

A new study suggests that the way people learn to trust others early in life can shape their political ideology and preference for strong, dominant leaders—though not directly, but through dogmatic thinking and broader political attitudes.

Read moreDetails
Individual traits, not environment, predict gun violence among gun-carrying youth
Political Psychology

Republican women and Democratic men often break with party lines on gun policy

June 19, 2025

New research shows that Americans’ views on gun policy are shaped by the intersection of gender and partisanship, with Republican women and Democratic men often expressing positions that differ from those typically associated with their party.

Read moreDetails
Troubling study shows “politics can trump truth” to a surprising degree, regardless of education or analytical ability
Donald Trump

Racial insecurity helped shield Trump from Republican backlash after Capitol riot, study suggests

June 18, 2025

Despite widespread condemnation of the January 6th attack, many white Republicans remained loyal to Trump—especially those who perceived anti-white discrimination. A new study shows how racial status threat can protect political leaders from the consequences of norm violations.

Read moreDetails
Poor sleep may shrink brain regions vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease, study suggests
Political Psychology

Christian nationalists tend to imagine God as benevolent, angry over sins, and engaged

June 14, 2025

Christians who believe God is benevolent, engaged, and angered by sin are more likely to support religious nationalism, according to a new study. This worldview was also associated with conspiracy mentality and xenophobic attitudes.

Read moreDetails
Fear predicts authoritarian attitudes across cultures, with conservatives most affected
Authoritarianism

Fear predicts authoritarian attitudes across cultures, with conservatives most affected

June 13, 2025

A sweeping study of over 84,000 people across 59 countries found that individuals who feel threatened by crime, poverty, or instability are more likely to support authoritarian governance—especially in Western nations and among politically right-leaning individuals.

Read moreDetails

SUBSCRIBE

Go Ad-Free! Click here to subscribe to PsyPost and support independent science journalism!

STAY CONNECTED

LATEST

Could creatine slow cognitive decline? Mouse study reveals promising effects on brain aging

ChatGPT and “cognitive debt”: New study suggests AI might be hurting your brain’s ability to think

Frequent dreams and nightmares surged worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic

Vagus nerve signals influence food intake more in higher socio-economic groups

People who think “everyone agrees with me” are more likely to support populism

What is the most attractive body fat percentage for men? New research offers an answer

Longer antidepressant use linked to more severe, long-lasting withdrawal symptoms, study finds

New psychology study sheds light on mysterious “feelings of presence” during isolation

         
       
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and Conditions
[Do not sell my information]

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy