Identity-based hate speech? On the positive link between national narcissism and permission to use hate speech directed at the LGBTQ+ community in Poland
Dagmara Szczepańska, Zuzanna Molenda, Marta Marchlewska
Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences
Purpose: This research empirically examines psychological concomitants of support for hate speech directed at members of the LGBTQ+ community in Poland.
Background: Collective narcissism – i.e., a belief in in-group’s greatness that is contingent on its external validation – has been previously linked to a series of maladaptive intra- and intergroup outcomes related to LGBTQ+ community, e.g., gender conspiracy beliefs, prejudice towards homosexuals, unwillingness to engage in solidarity-based collective action in support of LGBT rights. In this research we explore the role of national collective narcissism in shaping hostility towards members of the LGBTQ+ community, operationalized as hate speech towards homosexual people. We assumed that support for the use of hate speech directed at gay people would be positively predicted by national narcissism, rather than secure national identification. We also assumed that this relationship would be accounted for by higher endorsement of gender conspiracy theories, i.e. a belief that gender activists, and sex educators intentionally created a "gender ideology" that aims to destroy the traditional division of gender social roles.
Methods: Hypotheses were tested among Polish participants and conceptually replicated across two cross-sectional studies (Study 1; n = 432 and Study 2; n = 1000). Specifically, we examined links between national narcissism (vs. national identification), support for hate speech directed at homosexual people, and gender conspiracy beliefs. In Study 2 we additionally controlled for individual narcissism (previously linked to conspiracy beliefs).
Results: In both studies, the relationship between national narcissism and support for hate speech was mediated by the endorsement of gender conspiracy beliefs. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the vision of national identity in the form of collective narcissism, which promotes traditional gender hierarchy may play an important role in shaping hostile responses to members of socially disadvantaged groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community in particular.
