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Isolation, Powerlessness, and Violence: A Study of Attitudes and Participation in the Watts Riot
Abstract
The hypothesis that isolated individuals are more prone to extremism is tested, using a sample of Los Angeles Negroes interviewed shortly after the Watts riot. It is found that racial isolation (low degrees of intimate white contact) is strongly associated with a willingness to use violence under two subjective conditions: (a) when isolated individuals feel a sense of powerlessness in the society and (b) when such isolated individuals are highly dissatisfied with their treatment as Negroes. Ideal types of the most and least violence-prone are developed from the cumulative effects of the three independent variables (isolation, powerlessness, and dissatisfaction).
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Citations
Cited by
A model of egoistical relative deprivation.
Crosby, F. J. (1976) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037//0033-295x.83.2.85 · Cited by 1,533
Relative Deprivation: A Theoretical and Meta-Analytic Review
Smith, H. J., Pettigrew, T. F., Pippin, G. M., & Bialosiewicz, S. (2012) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868311430825 · Cited by 1,255
DIFFERENTIATING AMONG INTERNALITY, POWERFUL OTHERS, AND CHANCE
Levenson, H. (1981) · Research with the Locus of Control Construct · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-443201-7.50006-3 · Cited by 1,078
Dimensions of Political Alienation
Finifter, A. W. (1970) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.2307/1953840 · Cited by 363
Racially Separate or Together?
Pettigrew, T. F. (2001) · Racism: Essential Readings · doi:10.4135/9781446220986.n15 · Cited by 275
Metadata
- Authors
- Ransford, H. E.
- Venue
- American Journal of Sociology
- Publisher
- University of Chicago Press
- Published
- 1968-03
- Volume
- 73
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 581-591
- ISSN
- 0002-9602 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-5390
- OpenAlex
- W2129222966
- Cited by
- 190
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 57.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
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- Ransford, H. E. (1968). Isolation, Powerlessness, and Violence: A Study of Attitudes and Participation in the Watts Riot. American Journal of Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1086/224532
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