David O’Keefe Sears (born June 24, 1935, in Urbana, Illinois) is an American psychologist who specializes in political psychology.
He graduated from Stanford University in 1957 with an AB in history with a minor in psychology; he presented, under the H. Stuart Hughes' guidance, a thesis on the Nazi mobilization of the youth.
He also received the Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize from The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues[11] in 1978 for his paper Symbolic Racism versus Racial Threats to 'The Good Life', co-authored with Donald R.
He lives in Pacific Palisades, California and spends his summer vacations in Lake Winnipesaukee, Moultonborough, New Hampshire.
[18][19] Self interest is defined as the "(1) short-to-medium term impact of an issue (or candidacy) on the (2) material well-being of the (3) individual's own personal life (or that of his or her immediate family)."
[18][19] With few exceptions throughout the literature, symbolic predispositions has presented more substantive and statistical explanatory power on attitudes and behaviors than self-interest.
[24][25][26] His theory has been developed and used in the analysis of new forms of racism in the United States that emerged especially after the Civil Rights movements of the 1960s.
As defined by Kinder and Sears, Symbolic racism represents a form of resistance to change in the racial status quo based on moral feelings that blacks violate such traditional American values as individualism and self-reliance, the work ethic, obedience, and discipline.
Whites may feel that people should be rewarded on their merits, which in turn should be based on hard work and diligent service.
Hence symbolic racism should find its most vociferous expression on political issues that involve 'unfair' government assistance to blacks: welfare ('welfare cheats could find work if they tried'); 'reverse discrimination' and racial quotas ('blacks should not be given a status they have not earned'); 'forced' busing ('whites have worked hard for their neighborhoods, and for their neighborhood schools'); or 'free' abortions for the poor ('if blacks behaved morally, they would not need abortions').