Living in the past: The impact of victimization memory on threat perceptions

Abstract

Threat perception is a key issue defining intergroup conflict dynamics. To date, it has been linked with power asymmetries and value similarities between groups. This article examines the role of victimization memory in threat construction. The results of an experiment converge to suggest that personal and institutional victimization memories are robust predictors of the levels of threat perception. They act as primary references in the assessment of threat and suppress framing effects. The findings have significant implications for the theory of threat perception.

Legacies of Stalin or Putin? Public Opinion and Historical Memory in Ukraine

“…Dynamic social representations of individual and collective memory may be especially prevalent for experiences of conflict and violence (Paez and Liu 2011;Volhardt et al 2018). Research suggests that memories of collective trauma can increase group bonding, reinforcing shared narratives, and it may also intensify adversarial reactions to out-groups (Wohl and Branscombe 2008;Lašas et al 2018). Furthermore, studies in the psychology of memory indicate that historical memories are often unreliable as they are shaped by emotional experiences and outcomes from historical events (Bartlett 1932;Levine 1997;Levine et al 2001;Safer et al 2002).…”