Disparagement Humour: A theoretical and empirical review of psychoanalytic, superiority, and social

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Disparagement Humour A theoretical and
empirical review of psychoanalytic, superiority,
and social identity theories

• (MARK A. FERGUSON and THOMAS E. FORD)

Valentina Armani Roberto Lorenzini
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Disparagement Humour

• Disparagement humour refers to remarks that (are
  intended to) elicit amusement through the
  denigration, derogation, or belittlement of a
  given target.

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Why is disparagement humor funny?

• Three theoretical frameworks
• Psychoanalytic theory
• Superiority theory
• Social Identity theory

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Psychoanalytic theory
Hostile humour facilitates the satisfaction of a
hostile instinct ... expressing and satisfying
unconscious, socially unacceptable impulses.
(Freud)

• Catharsis Theory (Freud)

• Repressed Hostility (Epstein Smith)

• By providing a release of hostile impulses,
  disparagement humour serves as a means of
  catharsis a temporary cleansing or reduction of
  hostile psychic energy
• The amusement or pleasure one derives from
  disparagement humour results from the catharsis
  it produces

• Amusement with hostile humour is positively
  related to ones level of hostility
• Humour is thought to be a vehicle for releasing
  repressed, not conscious, hostile impulses

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Testing Catharsis theory 1
Singer (1968)
African-American participants
Induced aggressivity (hate crimes, abuses)
Step 1
Exposure to hostile, neutral humour
Step 2
Reduced aggression motivation
Results
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Testing Catharsis theory 2
Berkowitz (1970)
Angered female students
Non-angered female students
Evaluation of a female job-applicant
Hostile humour
Non-hostile humour
More negative overall evaluation
More positive overall evaluation
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Superiority theories

• When we find humour in something, we laugh at
  the misfortune, stupidity, clumsiness, moral or
  cultural defect, suddenly revealed in someone
  else, to whome we instantly and momentarily feel
  superior since we are not, at that moment,
  unfortunate, stupid, clumsy, morally or
  culturally defective and so on. (Gruner)

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Superiority theories

• Affiliation reference group models
• Vicarious superiority theory IC model
• Disposition theory attitudinal model

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Affiliation and Reference Group models
Affiliated objects are those objects towards
which a subject adopts the same attitude as he
does towards himself (Wolff)

• Hypothesis people should be more amused upon
  witnessing disparagement of unaffiliated targets
  (members of a social out-group) then of
  affiliated targets (members of an in-group)

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Testing Affiliation model 1
Wolff (1934)
Gentiles
Jews
Anti-Jewish jokes
Anti-Scottish jokes
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Testing Affiliation model 2
Middleton (1959)
Anti African-Americans jokes
Whites
Middle-class African Americans
Low-class African Americans
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Vicarious superiority theory the IC model
An IC (Identification Class) is defined in terms
of both affiliation (group membership) and
attitude toward a class or category of persons.
The more positive attitude towards IC a, and the
more negative attitude towards IC b
Joke IC a gt IC b
The more negative attitude towards IC a, and the
more positive towards IC b
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Testing Vicarious IC model
La Fave (1973)
American college students pro Americans
Canadians college students pro Canadians
Jokes disparaging Canadians
Jokes disparaging Americans
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Disposition theory an attitudinal model
We have dismissed the dichotomization of
affiliation, groups, or classes, and instead
employed a conceptual continuum of affective
disposition ranging from extreme negative affect
through a neutral point of indifference to
extreme positive affect. (Zillmann and Cantor)
Hypothesis humour appreciation varies inversely
with the favourableness of the disposition toward
the agent or entity being disparaged, and varies
directly with the favourableness of the
disposition toward the agent or entity
disparaging it.
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Testing Disposition Theory
Zillmann and Cantor (1972)
Cartoons depicting superior disparaging
subordinate (e.g. professors students)
Cartoons depicting subordinate disparaging
superior (e.g. students - professors)
Participants who typically occupy a subordinate
position in social relationships
Participants who typically occupy a superior
position in social relationships.
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Social Identity theory
Emphasy on relationships between social groups
Social groups viewed as competing for social
recognition
Social recognition positive distinctiveness
Positive distinctiveness reached also through
disparagement humour
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Social Identity theory

• Social Identity

• Personal Identity

• The term social identity refers to that part of
  an individual self concept deriving from
  perceived membership in social group

• Derives from perceptions of unique attributes in
  comparison to members of ones own social group

One can think of personal and social identity as
two poles on a continuum of self categorisation
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Social Identity theory

• Social identity

• Personal identity

• Becomes salient in intergroup settings where
  individuals categorise themselves and others
  according to salient social group membership

• Becomes salient in interpersonal settings where
  individuals focus on their differences from other
  individuals, without explicit regard for group
  membership

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Amusement through disparagement humour
Ethnic jokes
Enhanche positive distinctiveness
Threaten
Social identity
Personal identity
Social identity
Personal identity
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Reinterpretation of Affiliation model by Social
Identity theorists
Anti African-Americans jokes
Whites
Middle-class African Americans
Low-class African Americans
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Conclusions
Each theory proposes a simple mediational
structure, in which the effects of disparagement
humour on amusement are mediated by a
psychological variable catharsis, self-esteem,
or positive distinctiveness.
There is little research designed to measure
mediating variables directly.
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Conclusions
The consequences of disparagement humour on
social judgement and behaviour insidious effects
Communicating cultural knowledge of stereotypes
Contributing to an outlet for subtle expression
of prejudice
Facilitating hostile and discriminatory
environments for others