The Categorical Model of Disgust

Outline:

In this article, I propose a categorical schema to capture overt moral disgust narratives in online comment sections. This schema builds upon the works of respected researchers in moral psychology and sentiment, with a particular focus on the Moral Foundations Theory by Jonathan Haidt and the research conducted by Paul Rozin on the emotion of disgust.

Before introducing the schema, I'd like to briefly touch upon the background literature that influenced its development. Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory comprises six fundamental principles, three of which resonate with our schema: Purity, Authority, and Sanctity. These concepts share similarities with our Hygiene, Degeneration, and Religion components.

Rozin's research divides the emotion of disgust into three major types: Core Disgust, Animal-Nature Revulsion, and Interpersonal Disgust. Corresponding elements appear in our schema as Hygiene, Animal-Reminder, and Moral Violations.

The model incorporates and expands upon the foundational theories and research proposed by Jonathan Haidt and Paul Rozin. It integrates relevant aspects of their scholarship to create an collocation classification framework. It is important to note that collocations do not gain extra weight based on their association with multiple categories, as conceptual overlap is not a central concern. Taking this into account, my model incorporates insights from a variety of influential publications, further widening its scope and coverage of moral disgust narratives.

The Model:

Now, I present the schema, which is divided into several categories. Each listing contains a brief definition, literature reference, and examples of lexis.

1. Hygiene: Curtis, V., & Biran, A. (2001) provide insights into the role of hygiene in shaping human behaviour, suggesting that hygiene-related disgust serves an evolutionary function, helping humans avoid pathogens. The concept of hygiene often intersects with cultural norms, where non-adherence can result in a sense of disgust. In the context of immigrants, differences in hygiene practices or perceived cleanliness can lead to intergroup conflicts. In particular, comments suggesting that immigrants bring unclean habits can reinforce disgust sentiment.

Examples of potential lexis: dirty, filthy, mess.

2. Food: Fischler (1988) has explored the deep sociocultural implications of food, emphasizing how it plays a role in defining one's identity. Food-related disgust can stem from unfamiliarity or cultural differences. When immigrants introduce new or unfamiliar culinary practices, it can trigger negative sentiments in host populations, often driven by lack of understanding or fear of the unknown. These reactions are not just about the food itself but represent deeper fears about cultural contamination.

Examples of potential lexis: References to the cuisine of the immigrant population, references to taboo food, references to gluttony.

3. Sex: Tybur et al. (2009) showed the connection between disgust and sexual behaviours. Disgust reactions can arise from perceived threats to reproductive success- whether these threats are explicitly behavioural or due to the spread of disease. Immigrant groups with different sexual norms- whether real or imagined- might be viewed with disgust by in-groups.

Examples of potential lexis: perverts, leering, rape.

4. Body envelope: Douglas (1966) details how violations of the body's boundaries can evoke sensations of impurity. Douglas postulates that violations or transgressions of these boundaries can evoke sensations of impurity and danger. Haidt, Rozin, McCauley & Imada (1997) explore the relationship between the body envelope and purity in greater detail, suggesting that there is a strong connection between body envelope violations and disgust. In the context of intergroup dynamics, unfamiliar or non-normative body modifications or rituals presented by out-groups can intensify in-group disgust sentiments.

Examples of potential lexis: female genital mutilation, tattooed, cripples (referring to disfigurement or missing limbs).

5. Religion: Haidt, Rozin, McCauley, & Imada (1997) delve into the intricate relationship between moral foundations, including sanctity and purity, and the emotion of disgust. Distinct religious practices introduced by immigrants might serve as triggers for prejudice, especially when these practices starkly contrast with those of the majority. Such differences often fuel the fires of in-group versus out-group dynamics, heightening perceptions of the out-group as not just different, but morally repugnant. This can manifest in language that underscores these differences and elicits disgust.

Examples of potential lexis: Sharia law, mosques, godless, fanatics.

6. Animal-reminder: Rozin, Haidt, & McCauley (2008) postulated the theory of animal-reminder disgust, emphasizing human aversion to reminders of our biological nature. Outgroups can be perceived in a way which reduces their humanity by occluding their individuality, rationality, or culture, thus triggering an animal-reminder and amplifying feelings of otherness and disgust.

Examples of potential lexis: primitive, animalistic, masses, swarm.

7. Animals: Douglas (1966) has discussed the symbolic use of animals to create boundaries between in-groups and out-groups. Directly likening immigrants to animals serves to dehumanise and degrade. This is distinct from the animal-reminder in that it is not a reminder of the target’s biology, but a metaphorical assertion that the target is similar to a specific animal.

Examples of potential lexis: rats, pigs, cockroaches, locusts, breeding like rabbits.

8. Death: Ariès (1981) examines how death and decay are universal triggers for aversion. Haidt, Rozin, McCauley & Imada (1997) explore this aversion further, and argue that death and decay are strong triggers for disgust sentiment. Unfamiliar death rituals or practices introduced by immigrants can evoke disgust, as can stories of their death, if their dead bodies are referenced.

Examples of potential lexis: corpses, starving, references to dead bodies on the streets.

9. Disease: Schaller & Duncan (2007) delve into the evolutionary roots of disease avoidance behavior, suggesting that out-group members, like immigrants, can be erroneously perceived as carriers of disease, which fuels negative sentiments. Faulkner, Schaller, Park, & Duncan (2004) suggest that evidence of this relationship is manifest in xenophobic reactions during disease outbreaks. In addition, Kam & Estes (2016) argue that out-groups, including immigrants, have historically been framed using disease terminology, such as 'infestations' or 'plagues'.

Examples of potential lexis: infestation, infecting us, spreading like a plague.

10. Moral Violations (moral character?): Haidt (2001) provides a framework for understanding how moral foundations can lead to feelings of disgust, especially when societal norms are perceived to be violated. The different cultural backgrounds that immigrants have might inadvertently provoke such sentiments.

Examples of potential lexis: untrustworthy, playing the system, benefit fraud.

11. Out-group status: Tajfel's (1982) Social Identity Theory illustrates inherent human biases towards in-group favouritism. Additionally, Navarrete & Fessler (2006) contend that disgust responses can be intensified by out-group categorisation, particularly when expressed in language. In the context of immigration, this effect may be compounded when discussing illegal immigrants, as they are both not within the ingroup of the native population, and not within the ingroup of legal citizens.

Examples of potential lexis: illegal immigrants, foreigners, references to skin colour and other visible markers of outgroup status.

12. Degeneration: Hobsbawm (1990) explores the narratives constructed around nationalism, emphasising that these narratives often frame certain groups, such as immigrants, as agents disrupting societal purity or order. Such framings evoke sentiments of nostalgia for a past perceived as purer or more orderly. Haidt's moral foundations theory provides a nuanced understanding of these reactions. Specifically, Haidt et al. (2009) articulate the sanctity/degradation foundation, which encompasses feelings of disgust and the need for purity. This results in sentiments of nostalgia for a perceived past and disgust towards both the present and the perceived agents of societal corruption. Therefore, immigrants, when framed as agents disrupting societal purity or order, evoke sentiments of nostalgia for a past perceived as purer or more orderly.

Examples of potential lexis: corrupting our culture, destroying our heritage, undermining our traditions, they’re taking over, reclaim.

Each category will be covered in its own blog post, where they will be explored, defined, further contextualised in literature, and evaluated.

In the next post, I will outline how the manual selection of n-grams will work in practice.