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Not Just Intergroup: The Role of Status Within Groups in the Sandusky Scandal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2015

Sarah F. Bailey  and
Amanda J. Ferguson
Sarah F. Bailey*
Affiliation:
Northern Illinois University
Amanda J. Ferguson
Affiliation:
Northern Illinois University
*
E-mail: sbailey@niu.edu, Address: Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, 1425 W. Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115
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Extract

The series of events in the 2011 Penn State sexual abuse scandal were tumultuous and complex. Alderfer's (2013) focal article on the group-level phenomena surrounding the scandal provides a unique lens to view these events. However, questions remain about how relationships both within and between the groups involved in the scandal resulted in these outcomes. In particular, why did members of groups within Penn State fail to act, whereas people who belonged to other social groups took action? In short, we agree that group and intergroup boundaries were important in this situation, but would like to further elaborate on the underlying mechanisms behind their significance. Beyond the fact that individuals belonged to different groups, what aspects of group dynamics explain the differences in their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors in this scandal?

Type
Commentaries
Information
Industrial and Organizational Psychology , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , June 2013 , pp. 149 - 152
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology 2013

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References

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