The Transformative Side of Societal Stress: Threat and Challenge Responses to Progressive Social Changes
Abstract
Research showed that social changes elicit threat, which is considered a negative response to be avoided to improve intergroup relations. However, this approach overlooks the transformative potential of positive stress (challenge) for progressive social changes. To address this gap, we investigated whether, and if so, under what conditions, social change is perceived as threatening or challenging. Results from a representative Dutch sample (N = 411) revealed that social change is more threatening than the status quo. Furthermore, the instrumental (vs. symbolic) aspects of change, and its perceived demands and uncertainty heighten threat, while the ingroup and system (vs. personal) dimensions of change, and social resources and support buffer against threat. Our results offer insight into what factors promote more adaptive (challenge) rather than maladaptive (threat) responses to social changes. They encourage a critical perspective on social change, framing threat not as inherently negative but as tensions to be navigated.
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BibTeX
@misc{colombo2026transformative,
title = {{The Transformative Side of Societal Stress: Threat and Challenge Responses to Progressive Social Changes}},
author = {Marty Colombo and Félice van Nunspeet and Daan Scheepers},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/3yza5_v2},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/3yza5_v2/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - The Transformative Side of Societal Stress: Threat and Challenge Responses to Progressive Social Changes
AU - Marty Colombo
AU - Félice van Nunspeet
AU - Daan Scheepers
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/3yza5_v2
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/3yza5_v2/
AB - Research showed that social changes elicit threat, which is considered a negative response to be avoided to improve intergroup relations. However, this approach overlooks the transformative potential of positive stress (challenge) for progressive social changes. To address this gap, we investigated whether, and if so, under what conditions, social change is perceived as threatening or challenging. Results from a representative Dutch sample (N = 411) revealed that social change is more threatening than the status quo. Furthermore, the instrumental (vs. symbolic) aspects of change, and its perceived demands and uncertainty heighten threat, while the ingroup and system (vs. personal) dimensions of change, and social resources and support buffer against threat. Our results offer insight into what factors promote more adaptive (challenge) rather than maladaptive (threat) responses to social changes. They encourage a critical perspective on social change, framing threat not as inherently negative but as tensions to be navigated.
ER -