Generating constructive disruption: how disadvantaged groups can negotiate social change in the face of resistance from the advantaged

Much social psychological work sought to understand the psychological motivations that drive members of disadvantaged groups to engage in collective action. As a result, the questions of when and how collective action might lead to social change has remained largely unaddressed in the social psychological literature. Therefore, we ask when and how collective action by the disadvantaged can affect the advantaged such that it may spur social change. The core aim of the thesis was to develop and empirically examine the notion of constructive disruption: The idea that in order to motivate concessions from the advantaged, collective action needs to both generate a sense of social disruption and also communicate constructive intentions. As this research progressed, we also developed a goal of better understanding those resistant advantaged group members who were the main target audience of this research. We conclude that generating constructive disruption may be an effective strategy for disadvantaged groups to negotiate social change in the face of resistance from the advantaged group. Namely, constructive disruption indicates that in order to be effective winning support for their policy goals the disadvantaged are best served by nonviolent nonnormative action. Second, we delved more deeply into the psychological nature of resistance to social change among the advantaged group by developing a model and measure of advantaged identity management. Taken together, this research has implications for the study of the effectiveness of collective action, social change processes, and advantaged identity.