Resource Type: Research & Articles

Think carefully about your supporters’ social position if considering messages and strategies that may be seen as more radical. Individuals may be more likely to justify the current social order because they have an inherent need for order and predictability, desire safety and security, and do not want to alienate themselves from friends and family who support mainstream society. In turn, justifying the status-quo can undermine willingness to engage in protest that challenges the current system, even among political activists, and among those advantaged by the system.  Those disadvantaged are more likley to engage in such protest.