Factors that facilitate or hinder

individual activist participation

in social movements

Dimitris Barkas
Department of Psychology
Panteion University
Athens, Greece
Research Question

 This research project is concerned with

the factors that might facilitate or hinder
political participation at an individual
level.
 The interaction between personal factors
and the socio-historical context: how the
socio-political context has an effect on the
individual decision for collective action
Social psychological theories
Tajfel (1974)
Two belief systems influence strategies
for coping with a devalued identity:

 Social mobility belief system

(permeability of group boundaries) 
Individual mobility
 Social change belief system
(impermeability of group boundaries) 
collective change
Social psychological theories
Klandermans 1997
 Socialmovement participation involves
4 steps:
 Becoming part of a mobilisation potential

 Becoming target of mobilisation attempts

 Becoming motivated to participate

 Overcoming barriers to participation

Social psychological theories
Klandermans 1997

 Three different motives of participation:

 Collective motive: the subjective value of the
collective goals of the movement and the
subjective expectation that these goals would
be reached
 Social motive: the expected reactions of
significant others to the participation in the
movement
 Reward motive: personal costs and benefits
Social psychological theories
Simon and Klandermans 2001

 Politicized Collective Identity

 Three “critical pillars”:

 Collectiveidentity,
 Struggle of power,
 Wider societal context
Social psychological theories
Simon and Klandermans 2001
 Politicized Collective Identity evolves
in three stages:
 awareness of shared grievances,
 adversarial attributions,

 involvement of the society or of a third

party in the ingroup-outgroup conflict.

Triangulation of the power struggle

 politicization of the collective identity
 Social Psychological Theories
Social Identity Social
Theory
Identity  Partici-
(Tajfel 1974) pation
Simon et al. Social Identification Partici-
1998 pation
Identity with activists
 
Simon & Triangula Politicized
Klandermans tion of Collective Partici-
2001 power Identity pation
struggle 

Social Psychological Theories
Fusion: Politicization of Collective Id. &
Triangular model of Social Influence

Power/ Authority
Minority
opponent
In-group out-group
PCI
minority influence
Third party –
wider society
Population
Social Psychological Theories
Politicization of Collective Id.
or Minority Influence

Minority

mobilization potential
Population-Third party
Research Question Reloaded
 Organization of the representation

 Personal experience
 Interpersonal relations
 Positioning
 Ideological beliefs
Empirical Investigation
 Wider socio-historical context
 Personal experience & history of
participation through autobiographical
accounts
 Immediate context (Interpersonal
relations)
 Investigating the social motive the role of
significant others in the decision to
participate
Empirical Investigation
 Self-Positioning Collective identity
 Victims of asymmetric power relations
[/exploitation] (i.e. working class, lower-middle
class, immigrants)
 Others’-Positioning Social
Representation in terms of others’
oppression
 Privileged groups
 Victims of asymmetric power relations with
false consciousness
Empirical Investigation
 Ideological context
 Left/right political beliefs
 Beliefs about individual mobility or social change
 Beliefs about the role of the state and politics
 Beliefs about globalization
 Beliefs about social hierarchies (SDO, “just world”,
negative interdependence, group interests, system
justification)
 Perceptions of the goals and of the social
representation of society held by the activist
organization
Empirical Investigation
 Sample :
1. 18-35 years old
2. Students vs. workers
3. Activists vs. non-activists
4. Greek citizens vs. immigrants
5. Different social classes

 Various methodologies
(interviews, surveys, experiments)
Research Design
(Research I)

 Interview with trade-unionists

 1st, 2nd & 3rd degree
 Public & Private sector
 Different Groups
Research Design
(Research I)
 Interview structure:
 “Experts” on the issue of movement
participation
-What do workers think about trade unions?
-How do you motivate workers to take part to
the union’s actions?
 “Activists” (participants themselves):
-How did you take part for the fist time in the
trade union movement?
-Why did you choose this union front?
As experts

[Trade unions] are considered un-reliable, but

useful at the same time:
- due to historical contribution to workers’
institutions
- the union is there, at the workplace to fight for
you
- Workers feel more weak without it against the
employers
- some victories (e.g. “social security strike
2001”), involvement in anti globalization
movement
 membership back again
- It is hard to preserve the collectivity of
the workers, because of the numerous
fragmentations according to sex, race,
age, working conditions or due to the
establishment of neoliberal ideology
among workers and in some cases with
conflicting interests
- Still, there are issues that unite them
(social security issue)
 Accessibility
& direct daily contact
between trade unionist and potential
member
 For women:
 […] the social environment, the absence of
womens’ liberation
 It is an issue not being handled by women
that have the same problems (e.g.: family)
As subjects

 My generation was influenced by the

Polytechneio [upsurge]
[…] We wanted to be like the (revolted)
students, to do something too.
 I was first politically involved. I belonged
to New Democracy since I was a
student
[…] it began with the political element
[politics] when I was still a student