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“Not in My Back Yard”: The Situational and Personality Determinants of Oppositional Behavior 1
Author(s) -
Thornton Bill,
Knox Diana
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb02756.x
Subject(s) - situational ethics , psychology , social psychology , nimby , perspective (graphical) , opposition (politics) , personality , yard , proposition , big five personality traits , politics , political science , law , ecology , philosophy , physics , epistemology , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , computer science , biology
The present study considered situational and dispositional factors underlying behavioral opposition characteristic of a “not‐in‐my‐back‐yard” (NIMBY) response to a change having adverse personal consequences. Students considered the proposition of comprehensive exams required for graduation taking effect in the near or distant future (high and low vested interest, respectively). Although both groups had similarly negative attitudes toward the idea, the high vested interest group perceived greater personal consequence and expressed greater intention to oppose the plan. From a situational‐dispositional interactionist perspective, it was the impact of the situation (perceived stake), rather than personality traits presumed to underlie a NIMBY response, that proved to be the primary determinant of oppositional behavior.