The COVID-19 vaccination campaign led to hesitancy, deferment and un-resolving resistance of cert... more The COVID-19 vaccination campaign led to hesitancy, deferment and un-resolving resistance of certain groups or individuals worldwide. Reasons for these reactions include distrust in the COVID-19 vaccine that was developed rapidly, lack of trust in governing entities and unrealistic optimism (UO). Each of these reasons may involve claims of secret intentions or conspiracy theories. The present study examined the role of three different explanations for vaccine hesitancy and rejection, in predicting psychological coping, distress, and level of vaccine uptake, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Blaming the vaccine and its producers, blaming the state's authorities, and expressing criticism in UO terms, which may hint of some secret intention that underlies the vaccination request. The research was conducted on a sample of 2002 Israeli adults who responded to an anonymous questionnaire about vaccine hesitancy and psychological coping. We assumed that conspiracy theories aimed at the medical and the governing authorities, and the UO insinuations of covert intentions of these authorities, represent two different psychological processes. UO responses to adversity are aimed at reducing anxiety attributing covert intentions to the authorities and the pharmaceutical companies is an expression of anxiety. Three major hypotheses are examined. First, stronger criticism of the vaccine will be associated with a lower level of vaccination. Second, more extreme criticism of the political and the medical authorities for requesting vaccination, raised as a reason for vaccine hesitation will positively predict a higher level of anxiety and negatively predict the extent of good psychological coping. A stronger opposition to the vaccine in terms of UO will be positively associated with a greater scope of resilience and coping and will be negatively linked to indicators of distress. Results supported these hypotheses and enhanced the ongoing discussion on the contribution of UO to psychological adjustment, by illustrating its beneficial effects on this adjustment.Conspiracy Theories and Secret Intentions as Predictors of Psychological Coping and Vaccine Uptake throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel.
Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, May 18, 2015
ABSTRACT The deteriorating state of the environment and global warming pose a serious and unprece... more ABSTRACT The deteriorating state of the environment and global warming pose a serious and unprecedented threat to humanity. Yet, public response and personal behavior do not reflect the proportions of such a threat. In the present research we explored possible reasons for this discrepancy. Past research has shown that people perceive events as more threatening based on their immediacy, certainty, or personal implications. Liberman and Trope (2008) developed the concept of “psychological distance” (PD), according to which more immediate events are seen as “closer in time,” more certain events as “closer in probability,” and events with greater potential for personal harm as “socially closer.” Adopting this concept, we examined how distant, in terms of PD, people perceive environmental threats to be. Using a structural equations model, we measured how PD influences environmental threat perception. In a sample of 305 Israeli students who completed a computerized questionnaire, we found that environmental threats were perceived as psychologically distant in all of the PD dimensions, and that PD strongly affected perceived severity of environmental threats and willingness to engage in pro-environmental behavior. The reasons for the psychological remoteness of environmental threats and possible approaches to cope with its implications are discussed.
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
The current experimental study examined sense of coherence (SOC) as a predictor of the effect of ... more The current experimental study examined sense of coherence (SOC) as a predictor of the effect of induced stress (time limit and posing a threat) on the level of overall cognitive performance (based on three subscales: mathematics, shapes, and analogies). Results indicated the following: (a) induced stress (experimental group, n = 80) scored lower on the overall cognitive score, compared to the no-stress (control group, n = 81); (b) subjects in the stress group with higher SOC performed better on the overall cognitive score, compared to subjects with lower SOC; however, in the no-stress group there was no significant effect of SOC on cognitive performance;
The current study examines moral dilemmas related to the war against terror: the amounts of force... more The current study examines moral dilemmas related to the war against terror: the amounts of force used to arrest or harm a “most wanted” terrorist: the greater the use of force, the higher the risk for harming civilians and the lower the risk to the soldiers and vice versa. The study focuses on the association between moral decisions, confidence, and level of difficulty in making the decisions and political attitudes among Israeli Defense Forces soldiers. In addition, the study examines the differences between regular (202) and reserve (144) combat infantry soldiers regarding these variables. According to study hypotheses results indicate (a) more right-wing political attitudes predicted greater use of force and fewer difficulties in making moral decisions, and (b) reserve soldiers reported higher use of fire, higher confidence, and lower level of difficulty in making moral decisions compared with regular soldiers.
... to put the phenomenon of the Palestinian women suicide bomber (Palestinian Shahida) into a ..... more ... to put the phenomenon of the Palestinian women suicide bomber (Palestinian Shahida) into a ... According to the author, neither Islamic rhetoric nor nationalistic eloquence has succeeded to date in ... a more critical reading of what the female suicide terrorists have said and an ...
The Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology, Dec 15, 2011
Conflicts are a very common part of social life and can be extremely costly to all parties involv... more Conflicts are a very common part of social life and can be extremely costly to all parties involved. A possible definition of conflict emphasizes the existence of incompatible interests recognized by the parties involved. Among the most common of these are intergroup conflicts — that is, conflicts between rival groups of people. These conflicts often evolve into terrible events such as war or terrorism, with negative results affecting many people. Not surprisingly, intergroup conflicts, how to reduce them, and possible solutions are salient issues in social psychology. Keywords: intergroup conflict; attribution theory; cognitive errors; attribution dimensions: locus; stability; globality
The current study uses the content analysis method while focusing on identification of repeated p... more The current study uses the content analysis method while focusing on identification of repeated patterns of behavior by suicide terrorists and the society within which they grow and develop. The present study presents a typologya classification into categories, each ...
The study examined the resilience and coping of samples from Ukraine and five nearby countries du... more The study examined the resilience and coping of samples from Ukraine and five nearby countries during the war in Ukraine. The research focused on (1) the levels of community and societal resilience of the Ukrainian respondents compared with the populations of five nearby European countries and (2) commonalities and diversities concerning coping indicators (hope, well‐being, perceived threats, distress symptoms, and sense of danger) across the examined countries. A cross‐sectional study was conducted, based on data collection through Internet panel samples, representing the six countries' adult populations. Ukrainian respondents reported the highest levels of community and societal resilience, hope, and distress symptoms and the lowest level of well‐being, compared to the population of the five nearby European countries. Hope was the best predictor of community and societal resilience in all countries. Positive coping variables, most notably hope, but also perceived well‐being ar...
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign led to hesitancy, deferment and un-resolving resistance of cert... more The COVID-19 vaccination campaign led to hesitancy, deferment and un-resolving resistance of certain groups or individuals worldwide. Reasons for these reactions include distrust in the COVID-19 vaccine that was developed rapidly, lack of trust in governing entities and unrealistic optimism (UO). Each of these reasons may involve claims of secret intentions or conspiracy theories. The present study examined the role of three different explanations for vaccine hesitancy and rejection, in predicting psychological coping, distress, and level of vaccine uptake, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Blaming the vaccine and its producers, blaming the state's authorities, and expressing criticism in UO terms, which may hint of some secret intention that underlies the vaccination request. The research was conducted on a sample of 2002 Israeli adults who responded to an anonymous questionnaire about vaccine hesitancy and psychological coping. We assumed that conspiracy theories aimed at the medical and the governing authorities, and the UO insinuations of covert intentions of these authorities, represent two different psychological processes. UO responses to adversity are aimed at reducing anxiety attributing covert intentions to the authorities and the pharmaceutical companies is an expression of anxiety. Three major hypotheses are examined. First, stronger criticism of the vaccine will be associated with a lower level of vaccination. Second, more extreme criticism of the political and the medical authorities for requesting vaccination, raised as a reason for vaccine hesitation will positively predict a higher level of anxiety and negatively predict the extent of good psychological coping. A stronger opposition to the vaccine in terms of UO will be positively associated with a greater scope of resilience and coping and will be negatively linked to indicators of distress. Results supported these hypotheses and enhanced the ongoing discussion on the contribution of UO to psychological adjustment, by illustrating its beneficial effects on this adjustment.Conspiracy Theories and Secret Intentions as Predictors of Psychological Coping and Vaccine Uptake throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel.
Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, May 18, 2015
ABSTRACT The deteriorating state of the environment and global warming pose a serious and unprece... more ABSTRACT The deteriorating state of the environment and global warming pose a serious and unprecedented threat to humanity. Yet, public response and personal behavior do not reflect the proportions of such a threat. In the present research we explored possible reasons for this discrepancy. Past research has shown that people perceive events as more threatening based on their immediacy, certainty, or personal implications. Liberman and Trope (2008) developed the concept of “psychological distance” (PD), according to which more immediate events are seen as “closer in time,” more certain events as “closer in probability,” and events with greater potential for personal harm as “socially closer.” Adopting this concept, we examined how distant, in terms of PD, people perceive environmental threats to be. Using a structural equations model, we measured how PD influences environmental threat perception. In a sample of 305 Israeli students who completed a computerized questionnaire, we found that environmental threats were perceived as psychologically distant in all of the PD dimensions, and that PD strongly affected perceived severity of environmental threats and willingness to engage in pro-environmental behavior. The reasons for the psychological remoteness of environmental threats and possible approaches to cope with its implications are discussed.
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
The current experimental study examined sense of coherence (SOC) as a predictor of the effect of ... more The current experimental study examined sense of coherence (SOC) as a predictor of the effect of induced stress (time limit and posing a threat) on the level of overall cognitive performance (based on three subscales: mathematics, shapes, and analogies). Results indicated the following: (a) induced stress (experimental group, n = 80) scored lower on the overall cognitive score, compared to the no-stress (control group, n = 81); (b) subjects in the stress group with higher SOC performed better on the overall cognitive score, compared to subjects with lower SOC; however, in the no-stress group there was no significant effect of SOC on cognitive performance;
The current study examines moral dilemmas related to the war against terror: the amounts of force... more The current study examines moral dilemmas related to the war against terror: the amounts of force used to arrest or harm a “most wanted” terrorist: the greater the use of force, the higher the risk for harming civilians and the lower the risk to the soldiers and vice versa. The study focuses on the association between moral decisions, confidence, and level of difficulty in making the decisions and political attitudes among Israeli Defense Forces soldiers. In addition, the study examines the differences between regular (202) and reserve (144) combat infantry soldiers regarding these variables. According to study hypotheses results indicate (a) more right-wing political attitudes predicted greater use of force and fewer difficulties in making moral decisions, and (b) reserve soldiers reported higher use of fire, higher confidence, and lower level of difficulty in making moral decisions compared with regular soldiers.
... to put the phenomenon of the Palestinian women suicide bomber (Palestinian Shahida) into a ..... more ... to put the phenomenon of the Palestinian women suicide bomber (Palestinian Shahida) into a ... According to the author, neither Islamic rhetoric nor nationalistic eloquence has succeeded to date in ... a more critical reading of what the female suicide terrorists have said and an ...
The Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology, Dec 15, 2011
Conflicts are a very common part of social life and can be extremely costly to all parties involv... more Conflicts are a very common part of social life and can be extremely costly to all parties involved. A possible definition of conflict emphasizes the existence of incompatible interests recognized by the parties involved. Among the most common of these are intergroup conflicts — that is, conflicts between rival groups of people. These conflicts often evolve into terrible events such as war or terrorism, with negative results affecting many people. Not surprisingly, intergroup conflicts, how to reduce them, and possible solutions are salient issues in social psychology. Keywords: intergroup conflict; attribution theory; cognitive errors; attribution dimensions: locus; stability; globality
The current study uses the content analysis method while focusing on identification of repeated p... more The current study uses the content analysis method while focusing on identification of repeated patterns of behavior by suicide terrorists and the society within which they grow and develop. The present study presents a typologya classification into categories, each ...
The study examined the resilience and coping of samples from Ukraine and five nearby countries du... more The study examined the resilience and coping of samples from Ukraine and five nearby countries during the war in Ukraine. The research focused on (1) the levels of community and societal resilience of the Ukrainian respondents compared with the populations of five nearby European countries and (2) commonalities and diversities concerning coping indicators (hope, well‐being, perceived threats, distress symptoms, and sense of danger) across the examined countries. A cross‐sectional study was conducted, based on data collection through Internet panel samples, representing the six countries' adult populations. Ukrainian respondents reported the highest levels of community and societal resilience, hope, and distress symptoms and the lowest level of well‐being, compared to the population of the five nearby European countries. Hope was the best predictor of community and societal resilience in all countries. Positive coping variables, most notably hope, but also perceived well‐being ar...
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Papers by Shaul Kimhi