Subgroup Identification, Superordinate Identification and Intergroup Bias between the Subgroups

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of subgroup and superordinate identification on intergroup differentiation between the subgroups. Hypotheses based on the social identity approach were formed and tested in two samples gathered from the same Finnish shipyard: Sample 1 consisted of the employees of 20 different subcontractors working at the shipyard, and Sample 2 consisted of the shipyard's own workforce. The results from Sample 1 supported the idea that subgroup identification (identification with the subcontractor) is positively related to ingroup bias, and superordinate identification (identification with the shipyard) is negatively related to ingroup bias toward other subgroups under the same superordinate category (shipyard). Among the shipyard's own workers (Sample 2), in turn, identification with the shipyard was significantly related to increased levels of ingroup bias toward the subcontractors working there. The results, thus, indicate that the positive effects of superordinate identification on subgroup relations may be limited to only some of the subgroups.