the link between moral anger and social activism

165 Pages·2009·0.37 MB·English

THE LINK BETWEEN MORAL ANGER AND SOCIAL ACTIVISM: AN
EXPLORATORY STUDY

A DISSERTATION
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY
OF
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF APPLIED AND PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
OF
RUTGERS
THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
BY
TALIA MIRIAM MASTER
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
OF
DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY
NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY MAY 2009

APPROVED: ___________________________________
Lew Gantwerk, Psy.D.

___________________________________
Nancy Boyd-Franklin, Ph.D.

DEAN: ___________________________________
Stanley Messer, Ph.D.
Copyright 2009 by Talia Miriam Master
ABSTRACT
“In one autobiography after another we find the same story—the initial action for peace
and justice is motivated by anger against injustice. Like the spark that ignites the fuel in
an engine, anger is the stimulus that initiates action” (Adams, 2007, p. 10). This study
explores one of the pathways to creating change, via examining the mechanism that
allows some individuals who have experienced anger as a result of growing up under a
system(s) of injustice to transform their anger into moral anger and subsequently into
activism. Individuals who experience moral anger often perceive their anger as righteous
and justified, linked to something greater than individual self-interest (Potter-Efron,
2005). A semi-structured interview that contained open-ended questions about the
individual’s demographics and childhood, exposure to structural violence/social injustice,
past and current involvement in social activism, description of moral anger, opportunities
to express anger or discuss it with others, and hypotheses about the link between anger
and activism was administered to fourteen individuals who self identified as activists.
Grounded theory (Corbin & Strauss, 2008) was used to analyze the data. Many
interviewees acknowledged times when they felt different from those around them during
their childhood/adolescence and described being bothered by how people were treated
during their childhood. While some were “intrinsically” drawn to activism, others came
to activism through an external experience. The results indicate the importance of
normalizing emotions, working together in a collective fashion, developing a critical
consciousness through discrete educational experiences, a family legacy of activism,
observing activism during childhood or adolescence, observing injustice, exposure to
people from different cultures or with different opinions, surviving a family trauma, and
  ii
accurately identifying emotions. Significant intersection was found between the factors,
likely indicative of multiple pathways that work together in a cyclical manner to help
individuals channel their anger into moral anger and subsequently into activism.
Challenges to expect when channeling anger into activism, limitations of the study, and
implications for future research are included. In addition, implications for future
curriculum development, for adolescents who are currently experiencing anger as a result
of social injustice, are also discussed.
  iii
Dedicated to the Memory of my Granny, Daisy (Dina) Master (1916 -2008)
A Quiet Hero

  iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have been blessed to have the love and support of many inspiring individuals
throughout the process of writing this dissertation and throughout my life. My parents
have provided unwavering encouragement and support through every step of my life. I
wouldn’t have reached this milestone without their never-ending confidence in me,
kindness, humor, intelligence, and constant presence in my life. I have learned more
from their examples than words can describe and can only hope to be a similar inspiration
to others. To my mom, from whom I’ve learned the value of unyielding kindness,
emotional support, and dedication; and to my dad, from whom I’ve learned how to cope
with major challenges with humor and grace, the importance of activism, and persistence
(and almost, how to win an argument!)—thank you! And to my brothers, David and
Sam, who in different ways, continue to remind me of the importance of following
dreams, while maintaining integrity and treating others with genuine kindness. I am
lucky to have you both in my life. Bubby and Zaiyde and the rest of my family, spread
across the world-- I am continuously inspired by your patience, kindness, and resilience.
I am deeply saddened that my Granny was unable to witness the end of this “thesis,” but
cherish the recent opportunity for closeness with her and continue to be inspired by her
memory.
Glen, thanks for your patience in my needing to work on the dissertation in the
short periods of time that we have together, your unwavering support, challenging
conversations, laughter, and inspiring me in the way you live your life. And to my
GSAPP friends, who have supported and challenged me throughout this process, building
relationships that I hope will last long after graduation—thank you! I also cherish my
  v
non-GSAPP friends, who continue to provide much needed laughter, support,
encouragement, and a constant reminder of what is important in life.
To my wonderful committee, Lew Gantwerk and Nancy Boyd-Franklin, I am so
fortunate to have developed close relationships with both of you early in the program.
Lew, thanks for the unending emotional support, humor, and caring throughout GSAPP.
I especially appreciate your willingness to help me explore non-traditional options and
constant encouragement to follow my passions. I always left our meeting smiling.
Nancy, thanks for being an inspiring role model, both personally and professionally, and
an unending source of support throughout GSAPP. I especially appreciate your
willingness to go out of your way to connect me with individuals and opportunities that
have helped shape my identity. A very special thank you to Milt Schwebel, who
provided valuable and thought-provoking assistance throughout every step of this
process. I am so grateful for your time, energy, and insights! This dissertation would not
have been completed without Sylvia Krieger. Thanks for the recent formatting help and
constant support throughout my time at GSAPP!
I also value the assistance I received from the members of Nancy’s dissertation
group, too numerous to list. From generating topics to reviewing my work, I really
appreciate all the help and support along the way. The idea for my dissertation was
inspired by my work with the Rutgers-Somerset Project, a formative training experience
at GSAPP—thank you to my fellow GSAPP group leaders, Nancy, and the students and
staff at Franklin Middle School. And finally, I owe tremendous gratitude to the
individuals who are the heart of this study, who graciously allowed me into their worlds.
I left each interview awed and inspired.
  vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................v

CHAPTER

I. LITERATURE REVIEW.....................................................................1
Statement of the Problem......................................................................1
Anger.....................................................................................................2
Anger and Violence..............................................................................10
Activism................................................................................................23
Limitations of Current Literature..........................................................36

II. METHODOLOGY...............................................................................38
Participants............................................................................................38
Procedures.............................................................................................40
Description of the instrument................................................................42
Data Analysis........................................................................................43

III. RESULTS.............................................................................................48
Overview...............................................................................................48
Childhood and feeling different............................................................48
Moral Anger..........................................................................................50
Informal Education...............................................................................57
Transformation of Anger into Moral Anger.........................................60
Dealing with Anger Differently Throughout Life................................69
Different Paths within the Family.........................................................72
Link between Anger and Activism.......................................................73
Barriers to Activism..............................................................................76
Activism without Barriers.....................................................................80
What I Have Learned that Would Have Been Useful to Know When
I Was Younger and Full of Anger.........................................................82
  vii
Strategies to Teach Adolescents how to channel their Anger into
Activism................................................................................................84
Final Thoughts......................................................................................97

IV. DISCUSSION.......................................................................................99
The Experience of Conducting the Interviews......................................99
Definition of Moral Anger....................................................................100
Shared Characteristics of the Interviewees...........................................101
Ways of Knowing.................................................................................102
Aggravated Factors that Lead to Activism...........................................105
Intersection of Factors...........................................................................115
Challenges to Expect When Channeling Anger into Activism.............116
Limitations to the Study........................................................................116
Areas for Future Research....................................................................117
Implications for Future Curriculum Development...............................121
Summary of Findings............................................................................130

REFERENCES..........................................................................................................132

APPENDIX A: INFORMED CONSENT.................................................................137

APPENDIX B: CODING MANUAL........................................................................140

APPENDIX C: INTERVIEW PROTOCOL..............................................................151

  viii
1

CHAPTER I

Literature Review

“History has taught him [Dubois] it is not enough for people to be angry. The supreme
task is to organize and unite people so that their anger becomes a transforming force”
(King, Jr., 1968, p. 109).
Statement of the Problem
While research has been conducted on the motivation of social activists, the role
of using anger about systems of injustice, as a motivator for activism, has been largely
unstudied. There are many examples throughout history of individuals who have
channeled their anger towards making a change in a system of injustice; however, little is
known about the mechanism that leads some to channel this anger towards activism, as
opposed to more destructive behavior.
In order to begin an exploratory study of the mechanism that leads some who
have grown up surrounded by injustice to channel their anger into positive change, it is
necessary to first explore the other common responses to anger, such as violence. Two
caveats are necessary. While people have a variety of reactions to anger, including
internalizing the anger, depression, violence, activism, ignoring the anger, screaming, and
calmly expressing their anger, this literature review will focus exclusively on activism
and violence, with the intention of teasing apart the differences between the two