An examination of intellectualism and the Tall Poppy Syndrome in the Australian context: investigating attitudes towards scientists using a values framework and contextual information

ii Acknowledgements . iv Declaration . v List of Appendices . x List of Tables. xi List of Figures . xiii Chapter 1. The Australian Intellectual Climate 1.1 The Brain Drain and the Foreign Poppy Syndrome. 1 1.2 Aims of the Thesis . 3 Chapter 2. Tall Poppy Theories and Research 2.1 Overview of the Chapter . 5 2.2 General Definitions and Historical Setting . 5 2.2.2 Examples of Tall Poppies in Australian culture. 7 2.2.3 Empirical attempts to Define Tall Poppies . 10 2.3 Psychological Theories and Research examining Tall Poppies. 11 2.3.1 A functional definition of attitudes . 12 2.3.2 Values theory . 13 2.3.2.1 Empirical research examining Achievement, Power, Openness to Experience and Collectivist Values and Tall Poppies . 16 2.3.2.2 Empirical research examining Equalitarian Values and Tall Poppies. 18 2.3.2.3 Empirical research examining the role of Protestant Work Ethic, Communal Orientation Values and Tall Poppies . 21 2.3.2.4 Empirical research examining Authoritarianism, Political Ideology Values and Tall Poppies . 22 2.3.2.5 Summary of the empirical research into Values and Tall Poppies. 24 2.3.3 Attribution theory. 25 2.3.3.1 Empirical research examining Attribution theory and Tall Poppies. 28 2.3.4 Balance theory and Deservingness. 29 2.3.4.1 Empirical research examining Deservingness in success and failure situations and Tall Poppies . 32 2.3.4.2 Empirical research examining Deservingness, Personality, and Affect for public Tall Poppies . 36 2.3.5 Individual differences and Tall Poppy research. 41 2.3.5.1 Empirical research examining Global Self-Esteem, Gender, Perfectionism and Perceived Level of Competence. 42 2.3.6 The role of culture and context in attitudes towards Tall Poppies. 44 2.3.6.1 Empirical cross cultural research into attitudes towards Tall Poppies . 45 2.3.6.2 Empirical research examining the influence of context on attitudes towards Tall Poppies . 47 vii 2.4 Summary of research into Tall Poppies and directions for the present research . 48 Chapter 3. Anti-Intellectualism Theories and Research 3.1 Overview of the Chapter . 51 3.2 Historical Anti-Intellectualism. 52 3.3 Modern Era Anti-Intellectualism . 55 3.4 Anti-Intellectualism in American Life . 58 3.4.1 Political anti-intellectualism. 60 3.4.2 Social and religious anti-intellectualism . 62 3.4.3 Business and economics anti-intellectualism. 64 3.5 Rethinking Hofstadter . 66 3.6 Social Scientific Research into Anti-Intellectualism . 67 3.6.1 Four different kinds of Anti-Intellectualism . 68 3.6.2 Anti-Intellectualism as an attitude . 71 3.6. 3 Anti-Intellectualism as a disposition. 72 3.7 Summary of research into Anti-Intellectualism . 75 Chapter 4. Perceptions of Science and Scientists: Theory and Research 4.1 Overview of the Chapter . 77 4.2 Perceptions of Science . 77 4.3 Perceptions of Scientists . 80 4.4 Summary of research examining perceptions of science and scientists. 82 Chapter 5. Integration of the Literature and the Development of Hypotheses 5.1 Overview of the Chapter . 85 5.2 Attitudes, personality characteristics, deservingness, and Tall Poppies . 85 5.3 Ego Defensive Values . 86 5.3.1 Anti-Intellectualism and conservative values . 87 5.4 Contextual and individual effects on attitudes . 90 5.4.1 Threat, limit, and conservative values. 92 5.4.2 Pragmatic versus Intellectual high achievers . 93 5.5 Assumptions. 94 5.6 Aims and Hypotheses. 96