Men of Honor Don’t Talk: The Relationship between Masculine Honor and Social Activism against Criminal Organizations in Italy

Travaglino, Giovanni A., Abrams, Dominic, Randsley de Moura, Georgina, Russo, Giuseppina (2014) Men of Honor Don’t Talk: The Relationship between Masculine Honor and Social Activism against Criminal Organizations in Italy. Political Psychology, 37 (2). pp. 183-199. ISSN 0162-895X. (doi:10.1111/pops.12226)

Abstract

Criminal organizations have a strong influence on social, political and economic life in Italy and other parts of the world. Nonetheless, local populations display collective passivity against organized crime, a phenomenon known as omertà. Omertà is linked to the concepts of honor and masculinity. That is, in order to fit ideological constructions of manliness, individuals should display indifference toward illegal activities and should not collaborate with legal institutions. In two studies, we investigated the link between endorsement of a masculine honor ideology and collective action tendencies against criminal organizations (antimafia). Study 1 (N = 121) involved a Northern Italian sample, Study 2 (N = 301) involved a Southern Italian sample. Across studies, results showed that endorsement of masculine honor ideology was associated with lower willingness to engage in social activism against criminal organizations. This relationship was mediated by attitudes toward criminal organizations (Study 1 and 2) and, in line with the notion of omertà, by lower levels of collective motive and more anxiety about interacting with police (Study 2). Directions for future research are discussed.

Item Type:	Article
DOI/Identification number:	10.1111/pops.12226
Uncontrolled keywords:	masculine honor; criminal organizations; collective actions; omertà; mafia; antimafia
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions:	Faculties > Social Sciences > School of Psychology > Centre for the Study of Group Processes Faculties > Social Sciences > School of Psychology > Social Psychology
Depositing User:	Giovanni Travaglino
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2016 16:57 UTC
Last Modified:	29 May 2019 17:56 UTC
Resource URI:	https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/57658 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)