Social Dominance Theory: Its Agenda and Method

Author(s): Jim Sidanius, Felicia Pratto, Colette van Laar and Shana Levin

Source: Political Psychology, Vol. 25, No. 6, Symposium: Social Dominance and IntergroupRelations (Dec., 2004), pp. 845-880

Abstract

The theory has been misconstrued in four primary ways, which are often expressed as the claims of psychological reductionism, conceptual redundancy, biological reductionism, and hierarchy justification. This paper addresses these claims and suggests how social dominance theory builds on and moves beyond social identity theory and system justification theory.

Social Dominance Theory Its Agenda and Method