Summary
Social dominance orientation (SDO) is a measure of how far a person prefers relations between social groups to be unequal, with some groups on top. The psychologists Felicia Pratto, Jim Sidanius, Lisa Stallworth and Bertram Malle introduced it in 1994 as part of social dominance theory, which holds that societies steady inequality through shared ‘legitimizing myths’ such as racism or meritocracy.
They describe SDO as a “general attitudinal orientation toward intergroup relations”, measured by questionnaire. Higher scorers tended to back ideologies and policies that support hierarchy and to seek roles that maintain it; lower scorers showed more empathy and tolerance. The authors thought “both temperament and socialization probably influence” it.
Rationale
SDO scores individuals, where we look at culture. The theory behind it is nearer us – shared myths that make hierarchy seem self-evident, as dominant dispositions make arrangements “feel natural or inevitable”.