Fervent Fans Keep Faith With Heroes Even After ‘Immoral Acts’

hubie writes:

The more that people express admiration for a public figure, the more likely they are to forgive and defend them after a 'moral violation':

The findings suggest that we "resist updating our beliefs" about those we publicly support - even when they commit acts we might find appalling, say researchers.

[...] "Imagine a celebrity or a politician you greatly admire does something you consider deeply immoral and repugnant. Would you stand by them?" said lead author Simon Karg, who conducted the work while at the Cambridge Body, Mind and Behaviour Laboratory.

"We can see that people often keep holding on to a positive character evaluation even when the admired person commits a severe transgression. The more important the person has been to us, the less likely we are willing to change our favourable opinion," Karg said.

Cambridge social psychologist Prof Simone Schnall, the study's senior author, said: "People often use celebrities in the construction of their social identity. A threat to the standing of a public figure can be perceived by fans as a threat to their own self-identity - something we may feel compelled to defend."

[...] "There are numerous examples of celebrities and politicians acting in less than ideal ways without much backlash from devoted partisans. It seems that fervent supporters will readily excuse deplorable actions by their heroes. The question is whether anything can break this spell of commitment," Karg said.

Journal Reference:
Karg, S. T., Lim, M., & Schnall, S. (2022). Followers Forever: Prior Commitment Predicts Post-Scandal Support of a Social Media Celebrity. Social Psychological Bulletin, 17, 1-26. DOI: 10.32872/spb.8283

Original Submission

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