Flashbulb memories in the context of group hierarchies: effects of gender, system justification, and social dominance orientation on negative private and public flashbulb memories

Research on flashbulb memories (FBMs) has primarily focused on cognitive aspects. However, recent studies indicate that FBMs are closely associated with social and cultural dynamics. This descriptive study explored the structural aspects and psychosocial functions of negative FBMs within the context...

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Main Authors: Merve Çavuşoğlu, Muharrem Ersin Kuşdil
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1488241/full
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author Merve Çavuşoğlu
Muharrem Ersin Kuşdil
author_facet Merve Çavuşoğlu
Muharrem Ersin Kuşdil
author_sort Merve Çavuşoğlu
collection DOAJ
description Research on flashbulb memories (FBMs) has primarily focused on cognitive aspects. However, recent studies indicate that FBMs are closely associated with social and cultural dynamics. This descriptive study explored the structural aspects and psychosocial functions of negative FBMs within the context of intergroup theories, mainly focusing on negative public (coup attempt in Türkiye on July 15, 2016) and private (bad news of a loved one) FBMs. Participants in the main study (N = 233) were selected and grouped based on their social dominance orientations (SDO; high and low groups) and system justification tendencies (SJT; high and low groups), using data from a preliminary survey (N = 1,113). In the main study, participants’ responses to items on canonical categories, phenomenological aspects, and psychosocial functions of FBMs and their involvement in different protest actions against the coup attempt were compared considering SDO, SJT, and gender. The results show that private FBMs were generally rated higher by participants than public FBMs in all aspects. Although the canonical quality of private FBM did not differ between gender groups, public FBM quality was better in men. Participants in the high-SJT group had higher-quality public FBMs and rated these memories as more functional than participants in the low-SJT group, along with their high levels of protest participation. No differences were observed between the SDO groups for either type of FBM. The findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to group hierarchies and system justification motives. As the first attempt to place the FBM phenomenon in the context of SDO and SJT at the individual level, this study is intended to encourage others to adopt multi-level intergroup theories for integrating bottom-up and top-down processes.
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spelling doaj-art-428aafd628f94e458a998f4a5e703a312025-08-20T02:28:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-11-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.14882411488241Flashbulb memories in the context of group hierarchies: effects of gender, system justification, and social dominance orientation on negative private and public flashbulb memoriesMerve ÇavuşoğluMuharrem Ersin KuşdilResearch on flashbulb memories (FBMs) has primarily focused on cognitive aspects. However, recent studies indicate that FBMs are closely associated with social and cultural dynamics. This descriptive study explored the structural aspects and psychosocial functions of negative FBMs within the context of intergroup theories, mainly focusing on negative public (coup attempt in Türkiye on July 15, 2016) and private (bad news of a loved one) FBMs. Participants in the main study (N = 233) were selected and grouped based on their social dominance orientations (SDO; high and low groups) and system justification tendencies (SJT; high and low groups), using data from a preliminary survey (N = 1,113). In the main study, participants’ responses to items on canonical categories, phenomenological aspects, and psychosocial functions of FBMs and their involvement in different protest actions against the coup attempt were compared considering SDO, SJT, and gender. The results show that private FBMs were generally rated higher by participants than public FBMs in all aspects. Although the canonical quality of private FBM did not differ between gender groups, public FBM quality was better in men. Participants in the high-SJT group had higher-quality public FBMs and rated these memories as more functional than participants in the low-SJT group, along with their high levels of protest participation. No differences were observed between the SDO groups for either type of FBM. The findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to group hierarchies and system justification motives. As the first attempt to place the FBM phenomenon in the context of SDO and SJT at the individual level, this study is intended to encourage others to adopt multi-level intergroup theories for integrating bottom-up and top-down processes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1488241/fullflashbulb memorycanonical category of flashbulb memoryphenomenological aspects of flashbulb memorypsychosocial functions flashbulb memorygender differences in flashbulb memorysocial dominance orientation
spellingShingle Merve Çavuşoğlu
Muharrem Ersin Kuşdil
Flashbulb memories in the context of group hierarchies: effects of gender, system justification, and social dominance orientation on negative private and public flashbulb memories
Frontiers in Psychology
flashbulb memory
canonical category of flashbulb memory
phenomenological aspects of flashbulb memory
psychosocial functions flashbulb memory
gender differences in flashbulb memory
social dominance orientation
title Flashbulb memories in the context of group hierarchies: effects of gender, system justification, and social dominance orientation on negative private and public flashbulb memories
title_full Flashbulb memories in the context of group hierarchies: effects of gender, system justification, and social dominance orientation on negative private and public flashbulb memories
title_fullStr Flashbulb memories in the context of group hierarchies: effects of gender, system justification, and social dominance orientation on negative private and public flashbulb memories
title_full_unstemmed Flashbulb memories in the context of group hierarchies: effects of gender, system justification, and social dominance orientation on negative private and public flashbulb memories
title_short Flashbulb memories in the context of group hierarchies: effects of gender, system justification, and social dominance orientation on negative private and public flashbulb memories
title_sort flashbulb memories in the context of group hierarchies effects of gender system justification and social dominance orientation on negative private and public flashbulb memories
topic flashbulb memory
canonical category of flashbulb memory
phenomenological aspects of flashbulb memory
psychosocial functions flashbulb memory
gender differences in flashbulb memory
social dominance orientation
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1488241/full
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AT muharremersinkusdil flashbulbmemoriesinthecontextofgrouphierarchieseffectsofgendersystemjustificationandsocialdominanceorientationonnegativeprivateandpublicflashbulbmemories