With or without you: The paradoxical role of identification in predicting joint and ingroup collective action in intergroup conflict.

Siwar Hasan-Aslih,Tamar Saguy,Martijn Van Zomeren,Ruthie Pliskin,Eran Halperin,Eric Shuman

doi:10.1002/ejsp.2677

Abstract

While we have a rich understanding of the motivations of disadvantaged group members to act collectively with their group, especially the important role played by identification, we know less about the disadvantaged's motivations to engage in joint action with the advantaged. This research examines the role of identification in predicting joint and ingroup collective action in intergroup conflicts. Since joint action inherently diffuses the perception of “us versus them”, we propose that identification predicts ingroup action, but not joint action. We also examine conflict intensity as a moderator, and examine how changing identification is linked to change in support for joint action. We test these hypotheses in a three‐wave longitudinal study in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. Results support our hypotheses, demonstrating that identification positively predicts ingroup action but not necessarily joint action, and that when conflict intensifies, changes in identification are negatively related to joint action with outgroup members.

Highlights

Palestinians resisting the Israeli occupation and black Americans protesting state violence in the United States are examples of historically disadvantaged groups seeking to overcome prolonged oppression and injustice
While research has given us rich descriptions of the motivations of disadvantaged group members to act collectively with other members of their group and the motivations of advantaged groups to act on behalf of the disadvantaged, it is unclear if these motivations apply to joint action
While identification can facilitate participation in collective action that emphasizes connectedness and shared fate between members of the ingroup, the current research shows the complicated role of identification in predicting action that includes members of the advantaged outgroup in the collective, especially when the disadvantaged are in direct conflict with the advantaged

Summary

Introduction

Palestinians resisting the Israeli occupation and black Americans protesting state violence in the United States are examples of historically disadvantaged groups seeking to overcome prolonged oppression and injustice. Both groups sometimes engage in collective action along with allies from the advantaged group. Joint collective action requires members of the disadvantaged group to negotiate between intergroup tension and harmony, that is, between the orientation to characterize the outgroup as the oppressor and the orientation to soften intergroup disparity and accept outgroup members as allies

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