United as one? Personal and social identity threats differentially predict cooperation and prejudice toward minorities

Abstract

ABSTRACT Global threats are often identified as triggers of intergroup conflict. However, personal vs. social identity threats can differently shape intergroup relations – enhancing or decreasing cooperation and prejudice. We tested the idea that appraisals of different types of threat (to personal vs. social identity motives) shape-specific representations of intergroup relations (as one-group recategorization or separate-group coalition), which have opposing implications for modern prejudice toward ethnic minorities. In four studies (N = 2,772) performed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we found evidence that personal threats were negatively associated with modern prejudice and this relation was mediated by preferences for separate group-representations, whereas social identity threats were positively associated with modern prejudice and mediated by preferences for one group representations.