Work

The Dual-Process Motivational Perspective on Anti-American Attitudes: Evidence from Russia

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: In this paper, we explore the psychological motivations of anti-American attitudes from the perspective of the dual-process model that emphasizes two basic human motivational goals: security (with the resulting perception of threat) and superiority (with the perception of competition). Among established measures in social psychology, the former most closely corresponds to authoritarianism, whereas the latter is captured by social dominance orientation (SDO). We analyze the case of Russia where grievances against the United States featured prominently in the justification of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In Study 1, we find that political and cultural grievances against the United States, as well as anti-American attitudes and support for confrontation, are more strongly and consistently predicted by authoritarianism than by SDO. In Study 2, we replicate this result and also show that anti-American attitudes in the Russian public are motivated by perception of threat rather than perception of competition.

Source: Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

DOI: 10.1177/13684302261499279

Authors: Kirill Zhirkov, Eduard Ponarin, Sharon Werning Rivera, Shane Hsuan-Yu Lin

Institutions: University of Virginia, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Hamilton College, Academia Sinica

Language: English

Topic: Social and Intergroup Psychology

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900