Collective Punishment: When is Our Group Responsible for Our Actions?
IACM 17th Annual Conference Paper
11 Pages Posted: 26 Oct 2004
Date Written: June 2004
Abstract
This study explores the conditions under which people are willing to punish collectives for an individual's actions - i.e., collective punishment. Manipulating the perspective of the participant and the control the collective had over the perpetrator, the authors found collectives received harsher punishments when the collective had control over the perpetrator and the participant was in the role of victim than when the collective had no control over the perpetrator and the participant was in the role of a neutral observer. Perpetrators received harsher punishments from victims when the collective had control over the perpetrator as compared to when the collective did not have control over the perpetrator. The opposite was true for neutral observers. Possible affective and cognitive explanations for these findings are explored.
Keywords: Punishment, Groups, Justice
JEL Classification: D74
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation