Psychological Study of Patriotism PLEASE HELP!

Dear Fellow Kossacks, I need some help. I am currently putting together a social psychology experiment that I hope will not only contribute to basic "science", but also shed light on the mechanisms underlying unscrupulous politics.

The basic premise is that when someone is accused of something that they believe to be false, they will in some circumstances respond to disprove the allegation, sometimes in a costly and unwise way.

For instance, when during the McCarthy era people were suspected of being Communists, they were often forced to forcefully refute the allegations, often requiring them to abandon wholesome beliefs and allegiances that were deemed to be suspect. Today, with history repeating itself, the same is true of allegations of being "unpatriotic." To take one case, failure to support the war in Iraq is enough to call into question one's patriotism in some circles.

The request after the jump...

The study that I'm putting together is a simple one. My hypothesis is that if I can find a way to call into question people's patriotism, I can get them to a) be silent about their convictions that might be deemed unpatriotic (e.g. being against the war in Iraq), and b) endorse positions that they would otherwise oppose because these positions are labelled patriotic (e.g. The Patriot Act). The responses of people who have been called unpatriotic will be compared to those who haven't been so accused.

I've tried to be concise in my explanation here, but I realize further explanation may be required and I'd be happy to provide in upon request.

The Request

Part I: References to political literature that anecdotally describes this phenomenon. Particularly from the McCarthy era.

Part II: I need some way of making people feel like their patriotism is being called into question. I expect that this study will be administered by a "canvasser," that is someone approaching people on the street with a survey of sorts.

Now this person can't just call everyone a traitor. One thing to do is perhaps read a fictitious newspaper headline calling people who, for instance oppose the war, unpatriotic. My fear is that this won't be effective. I would like the person to really feel like their patriotism has been called into question, while at the same time being ethical about the whole thing. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I'll keep everyone posted on the progress and results of this survey. The implication of the hypothesis is that you can get people to agree with your views by calling them unpatriotic. I'm sure this is something people here are already well acquainted with, but I'd like to have some solid evidence. Thanks in advance for your help!