Geoffrey Wetherell

Education 

Ph.D., DePaul University

Research Interests

Stereotypes and Prejudice

Social and Political Conflict

Moral Psychology

Meaning in Life

Research Description

Dr. Wetherell has three interconnected areas of research. In the first, he examines how stereotypes about social groups relate to support or opposition to policies intended to help them. This line of research shows that the perception that specific groups violate cherished values predicts opposition to aid-based policies. Dr. Wetherell also examines worldview conflict, particularly the manner in which it applies to politics. This line of research shows that liberals and conservatives alike see their rivals as violating their values, a pattern that relates to the endorsement of discriminatory behavior. Finally, Dr. Wetherell examines the manner in which our moral, as well as our political beliefs create a sense of meaning in life.

Publications

Representative Publications

Selected Journal Articles

• Wetherell, G. A., Brandt, M. J., & Reyna, C. (2013). Discrimination across the ideological divide: The role of value violations and abstract values in discrimination by liberals and conservatives. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4(6), 658-667.

• Wetherell, G., Reyna, C., & Sadler, M. (2013). Public option versus the market: Perceived value violations drive opposition to healthcare reform. Political Psychology, 34(1), 43-66.

• Brandt, M. J., Reyna, C., Chambers, J. R., Crawford, J. T., & Wetherell, G. (2014). The ideological-conflict hypothesis: Intolerance among both liberals and conservatives. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(1), 27-34.

• Wetherell, G., Benson, O. S., Reyna, C., & Brandt, M. J. (2015). Perceived value congruence and attitudes toward international relations and foreign policies. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 37(1), 3-18.

• Henry, P. J., & Wetherell, G. (2017). Countries with greater gender equality have more positive attitudes and laws concerning lesbians and gay men. Sex Roles, 77(7-8), 523-532.

• Steiger, R. L., Reyna, C., Wetherell, G., & Iverson, G. (2019). Contempt of Congress: Do Liberals and Conservatives Harbor Equivalent Negative Emotional Biases Towards Ideologically Congruent vs. Incongruent Politicians at the Level of Individual Emotions?. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 7(1), 100-123.

Selected Chapters

• Brandt, M. J., Wetherell, G., Crawford, J. T., Forgas, J., Jussim, L., & van Lange, P. (2016). Moralization and intolerance of ideological outgroups. The social psychology of morality, 239.