Temporal focus, emotions, and support for intergroup aggression

Abstract

Emotions play an important role in conflict and aggression between groups. Two studies examined the link between temporal focus (past vs. future) and emotion (anger vs. fear) in the context of the threat of terrorism. Study 1 showed that manipulating emotion (fear vs. anger) in the context of terrorist threat against the United States induced different temporal foci. Fear elicited a future focus, whereas anger elicited a past focus. Study 2 manipulated temporal focus (past vs. future) and showed an increase in anger versus fear, respectively. These concordant emotional responses predicted support for intergroup aggression, as did political conservatism and beliefs in American superiority. Anger, but not fear, mediated the effect of past versus future framing on support for aggression. These results support temporal focus as a previously unconsidered but important determinant of the link between emotions and support for intergroup aggression.