Premium
Disparities in Judgments of the O. J. Simpson Case: A Social Identity Perspective
Author(s) -
Kuhl Victoria
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1997.tb02127.x
Subject(s) - social identity theory , social identity approach , attribution , social psychology , identity (music) , social group , perspective (graphical) , psychology , perception , social perception , sociology , physics , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , computer science , acoustics
In this article, social identity theory is used to explore the disparate perceptions of Blacks and Whites regarding the O. J. Simpson case. In social identity theory, the desire to view one's own social group positively is seen as a primary motivation underlying causal attributions for disturbing social events. This work suggests that racially polarized judgments of the O. J. Simpson trial may be related to (a) perceptions of the nature of status boundaries between Blacks and Whites in American society; (b) the relative importance of social identity; and (c) the degree to which the out‐group is seen to pose a threat to the in‐group's objective interests and identity concerns. Theoretical and empirical work in social identity theory is discussed.