Dynamics of Intolerance: Responding to Intolerance and Social Impact of the Misinterpretation

of Forms of Intolerance

Research Outline
for

Master of Arts in Psychology Application

Merwin Grootboom
Student Number: 30661439

Supervisor: Prof K. Dumont (as discussed and confirmed with her)

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Summary of topic………………………………………………………………………..1

Background………………………………………………………………………………1

Rationale for Doing Research….………………………………………………………..2

Research Methodology………………………………………………………………….3
Sampling Method…………………………………………………………………….3
Data Collection……………………………………………………………………….3
Data Analysis………………………………………………………………………...3

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………4

References……………………………………………………………………………….4

Biographical Statement…………………………………………………………….. …..5

Summary of Topic

Globally immigration is shaping the racial, cultural and political nature of societies as people from
mainly African and Asian countries migrate to predominantly Western democracies. Tolerance
for the religion, culture and political views of out-groups in particular, is therefore essential for the
creation of socially inclusive and harmonious multicultural societies. Tolerance is a behavioural
attitude which is characterised by the ability to accommodate cultural, political, religious and other
kinds of diversity, without compromising one’s own. Intolerance is the opposite, and there are
basically three forms which typify the attitude namely, prejudicial intolerance, intuitive
intolerance, and deliberative intolerance. In this research outline, I will provide the scope of my
research for a master’s dissertation, which intends to explore firstly, whether the different forms
of intolerance impact on how to respond to intolerance, and secondly, how disagreements on
interpretation of forms of intolerance have the ability to contribute to inter-group conflict.

Keywords: Tolerance, religion, culture, political views, out-groups, intolerance, inter-group

conflict

Background

Intolerance is becoming a major societal challenge on a global scale since people are confronted
on a daily basis with issues of diversity, which undermine what dominant groups regard as
normative. Societies are more culturally diverse and multireligious, people espouse different
ideological and political perspectives, and controversial social issues are polarising communities.
In South Africa, for example, immigration and the presence of refugees, are igniting feelings of
xenophobia. On social media hostile public discourse about issues related to policies of affirmative
action and the quota system in sport, is creating animosity among racial groups. Political discourse
has also become extremely vitriolic and sometimes leads to threats and violence against political
opponents. A fundamental understanding of what intolerance is, can have a significant impact on
how to respond to the manifestation of intolerance. Verkuyten et al. (2020) suggest that there are
primarily three understandings or forms of intolerance, which are, prejudicial intolerance, intuitive
intolerance, and deliberative intolerance. How intolerance is interpreted by individuals and groups

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can play a determining role in how to respond to intolerance. More critically, the misinterpretation
of acts of intolerance can adversely affect cultural, religious and ideological groups (Verkuyten et
al., 2020).

Rationale for Doing Research

Although South Africa had experienced a peaceful transition to democracy, the country is still
racially, ethnically, culturally and politically divided, with the propagation of the rainbow nation
having failed to construct a more racially integrated political dynamic. Extreme economic
disparities and crime further exacerbate the division. Gibson and Gouws (2000) assert that
subcultural pluralism is a dominant aspect of South African society and is an impediment to
complete democratisation. Subcultural pluralism contributes to political intolerance because in
polities that are divided, strong in-group identities are a catalyst for out-group intolerance (Gibson,
2006). Intergroup threat might also be responsible for the antagonistic attitudes South Africans
espouse towards out-groups (Bizman & Yoel, 2001; Riek et al., 2006). Research in political
science postulate that intergroup anxiety, resulting from negative experiences encountered in
interracial interactions, is an additional source of discriminatory out-group attitudes (Plant &
Devine, 2003).

In conversations I have had, and from what I had read in the media, political, cultural and racial
intolerance are adversely impacting on the creation of a more tolerant, intercultural South African
society. Since the beginning of the democratic dispensation, I have been concerned about what
needs to be done to foster tolerance in different social contexts, like schools, the workplace, public
spaces, etc., so that the broader society could become more tolerant. Tolerance makes it possible
to accept the beliefs and values of out-groups whilst maintaining distinct beliefs and values from
them (Verkuyten et al., 2020). However, social pressure could determine whether people will
show tolerance towards out-groups (Williams, 2017). Conducting research on how people
perceive actions as intolerant will provide insight into the attitudes and behaviour they display in
response to it. Such research is also practical in terms of developing perspectives on how to
address intolerance. Understanding how the different forms of intolerance are being

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misinterpreted and its affect on cultural, religious and ideological group dynamics, is foundational
to fostering and engendering tolerant behaviour (Verkuyten et al., 2020).

Research Methodology

Sampling Method

In this proposed research study 60 participants will be recruited online through purposive
sampling. An equal number of male and female participants will be selected from the white, black,
and coloured populations in South Africa, with both English and Afrikaans speaking whites to be
included in the sample. The sample will consist of participants from diverse political and
ideological backgrounds who are older than 18 years.

Data Collection

The method of data collection will involve surveys, which will be conducted through
questionnaires. The questionnaires will consist of vignettes, which is recommended by scholars
who study tolerance and intolerance (Verkuyten & Slooter, 2007, as cited in Verdoorn, 2016), to
focus on whether different understandings of intolerance impact on how to respond to intolerance,
and how disagreements on misinterpretation of forms of intolerance can lead to conflict among
cultural, religious, and ideological groups. Vignettes are brief descriptive stories about
hypothetical situations that mirror concrete reality, to which research participants have to respond
(Finch, 1987, as cited in Verdoorn, 2016). Verkuyten and Slooter, 2007 (as cited in Verdoorn,
2016) note that vignettes are suitable to assess tolerant behaviour in social situations which are
close to real life contexts.

Data Analysis

Regression analysis will be performed to test the effect of different forms of intolerance,
prejudicial intolerance, intuitive intolerance, and deliberative intolerance, which are the
independent variables, on the attitudinal and behavioral responses of participants, the dependent

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variables. The relationship between disagreements on interpretation of forms of intolerance and
whether it results in cultural, religious and ideological intergroup conflict (independent variables),
will also be tested through regression analysis (Verdoorn, 2016).

Conclusion

Discourse during the local government elections, incidents of political violence and the role of
race in the party affiliation of voters and voting patterns, demonstrated again that South Africa is
not a completely tolerant society. Active intervention is required to address the different forms of
intolerance. The outcome of the research could assist in the development of intervention strategies
to create a more tolerant country. Intervention policies can be formulated by the Department of
Education and included in the Life Orientation curriculum, since educational institutions are the
ideal social environment to advocate for racial, cultural, religious and ideological tolerance. Media
platforms could also be leveraged to promote attitudes that bring about behaviour that is tolerant
of the beliefs, values and practices of out-groups.

References

Bizman, A., & Yinon, Y. (2001). Intergroup and interpersonal threats as determinants of prejudice:
The moderating role of in-group identification. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 23(3), 191–
196. https://doi.org/10.1207/153248301750433669

Gibson, J. L., & Gouws, A. (2000). Social Identities and Political Intolerance: Linkages within the South
African Mass Public. American Journal of Political Science, 44(2), 278–292.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2669310

Gibson, J. L. (2006). Do Strong Group Identities Fuel Intolerance? Evidence from the South African
Case. Political Psychology, 27(5), 665–705. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3792534

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Plant, E.A., Devine, P.G. (2003) The Antecedents and Implications of Interracial Anxiety.
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29(6), 790-801.
http://doi.org/10.1177/0146167203029006011

Riek, B.M., Mania, E.W., Gaertner, S.L. (2006). Intergroup Threat and Outgroup Attitudes: A
Meta-Analytic Review. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(4), 336-353.
http://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr1004_4

Van Doorn, M. (2016). Accepting the disliked. The practice and promotion of tolerance. [Doctoral
thesis Vrije Universiteit]. https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/accepting-the-disliked-the-
practice-and-promotion-of-tolerance

Verkuyten, M., Adelman, L., Yogeeswaran, K. (2020). The Psychology of Intolerance: Unpacking
Diverse Understandings of Intolerance. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 29(5), 467-
472. http://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420924763

Verkuyten, M., Yogeeswaran, K., & Adelman, L. (2020). Toleration and prejudice-reduction: Two
ways of improving intergroup relations. European journal of social psychology, 50(2), 239–255.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2624

Williams, T.F. (2017). The Fragility of Tolerance: Rights, Responsibilities, and the Challenge of
Speaking Up [Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]. Illinois Digital
Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship. http://hdl.handle.net/2142/97721

Biographical Statement

I am a 40 odd year old father of two, who grew up in the Southern Cape, but living in the Cape
Peninsula since the early 90s. Over the past year I have started an e-commerce through which I
purchase and sell vehicles online, and intend to venture into trading machinery as well. Being a
vegetarian defines me as a person and is the basis of my interest in environmental justice. One
of my favourite past-times involves debating people on Twitter, and by following social

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psychologists on the platform, I actually became interested in the discipline of social psychology.
I am particularly interested in how social psychology could be applied to advance social,
political, economic, and environmental change. When I completed in a degree in Systematic
Theology, this very same question piqued my intellectual interest, and I am quite excited by what
I have been exposed to so far in regard to the field of enquiry of the scientific discipline of social
psychology. At the moment I am completing an honors degree in psychology (counselling) and
the Research Report module required that I conduct a research project, so I have gained some
research experience that will be useful in doing my dissertation.