Social Dominance Theory

[Page 765]Social dominance theory (SDT) is a social psychological theory of intergroup relations developed by Jim Sidanius and Felicia Pratto. The theory explicates the forces operating at multiple levels to produce and maintain social hierarchy and oppression across the globe. These levels include social ideologies, institutional rules and practices, and individual actions. SDT proposes that mechanisms at different levels interact and jointly contribute to the creation and preservation of group-based hierarchical structures, and almost all stable human societies are structured along group-based hierarchies sustained by these interacting levels. In these hierarchies, one or a limited number of groups possess a disproportionate amount of desired elements, such as power, resources, and status, and at least one group experiences a disproportionate amount of undesired elements, including punishment, ...