Social dominance theory (SDT) was developed in 1999 by Jim Sidanius and Felicia Pratto. It is based on hierarchies that exist within societies, such as those defined by age, gender, and arbitrary beliefs. SDT looks at the four bases of gendered power - force, resource control, social obligations, and consensual ideologies - that contribute to power imbalances. SDT has been used in psychology, sociology, and public health to understand topics like women's risk for HIV, career choices, attitudes toward police, and the relationship between bullying and social networks. While critiqued as being too individualized or rational, SDT's strengths are its ability to apply to multiple scenarios and explain

1. Social Dominance theory
(SDT)
PHHE 621
By: Kaitlin Jordan

2. Social Dominance Theory
(SDT)
• Developed by Jim Sidanius and Felicia
Pratto in 1999
• Based on hierarchies within society
• Age, Gender, Arbitrary Beliefs
• Four Bases of Gendered Power developed
by Pratto and Walker in 2004

3. Four Bases of Gendered
power
• Force
• Resource Control
• Social Obligations
• Consensual Ideologies

4. Previous Use
• Developed by Psychologists and later used in
Sociology and Public Health
• Used to understand…
-Heterosexual women’s risk for contracting HIV
-Career choices
-Attitudes toward police officers
-Relationship between children’s experiences with
bullying and their social networks

5. Public Health Theories
• The Social Cognitive Theory
Similarities:
-Interaction between person, behavior, and environment
Differences:
-Lack of behavioral capability, expectations, self-efficacy, and positive-reinforcements
• Theory of Planned Behavior / Reasoned Action
Similarities:
-Approval or disapproval from important people in individual’s life
Differences:
-Culture and the environment do not affect behavior
-Believes that one has control over their own behavior

6. Intervention
Reducing heterosexual women’s risk for HIV
Spectrum of Prevention
-Influencing policy and legislation
-Changing organizational practice
-Fostering coalitions and networks
-Educating providers
-Promoting community education
-Strengthening individual knowledge and skills.

7. Critiques
• “Too individualized”
- SDT is broad, includes abuse, economic resources,
interpersonal relationships, and societal views.
-Depending on the individual/situation, four bases can
be interrelated
• “Over-emphasize rationality”
-SDT realizes that rational is relative for those being
abused, lacking resources, and living in corrupt
societies.

8. Strengths
-Ability to apply to multiple scenarios
-Incorporates other theories
-Explains how hierarchies exist in a given society

9. Weaknesses
• Negative perspective
• Cannot be used the same way in every society

10. References
• Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., & Levin, S. (2006). Social
dominance theory and the dynamics of intergroup
relations: Taking stock and looking forward. European
review of social psychology, 17, 271-320.
• Rosenthal, L., & Levy, S.R. (2010). Understanding
women’s risk for hiv infection using social dominance
theory and the four bases of gendered power.
Psychology of women quarterly, 34, 21-35.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
National Cancer Institute. (2005). Theory at a glance: A
guide for health promotion practice (NIH Pub. No. 97-
3896) Washington, DC: NIH