Abstract
We discuss the idea that competition-based motives boost low-status group members’ support for group-based hierarchy and inequality. Specifically, the more low-status group members feel motivated to compete with a relevant high-status outgroup, based on the belief that existing status positions may be reversed, the more they will defend status differentials (i.e., high social dominance orientation; SDO). Using minimal groups (N = 113), we manipulated ingroup (low vs. high) status, and primed unstable status positions to all participants. As expected, we found that SDO positively mediates the relation between ingroup identification and collective action, when ingroup’s status is perceived to be low and status positions are perceived as highly unstable. We discuss the implications of considering situational and contextual factors to better understand individuals’ support for group-based hierarchies and inequality, and the advantages of considering ideological processes in predicting collective action.
Highlights
We discuss the idea that competition-based motives boost low-status group members’ support for group-based hierarchy and inequality
We found that support hierarchy-enhancing ideologies (SDO) positively mediates the relation between ingroup identification and collective action, when ingroup’s status is perceived to be low and status positions are perceived as highly unstable
We found no differences on SDO-D or SDO-E scores between the Low Social status condition (M = 2.77, SD = 1.12; M = 2.37, SD = 0.95, respectively) and the High (M = 3.00, SD = 1.01, M = 2.38, SD = 0.88, respectively), t(111) = 1.17, p = .244 and t(111) = 0.06, p = .950, respectively
Summary
We discuss the idea that competition-based motives boost low-status group members’ support for group-based hierarchy and inequality. We found that SDO positively mediates the relation between ingroup identification and collective action, when ingroup’s status is perceived to be low and status positions are perceived as highly unstable. We discuss the implications of considering situational and contextual factors to better understand individuals’ support for group-based hierarchies and inequality, and the advantages of considering ideological processes in predicting collective action. Results showed that SDO positively mediates the relation between group identification and collective action, when ingroup’s status is perceived to be low and status positions are perceived as highly unstable (i.e., SDO as an ingroup status-enhancement strategy)
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