Theories Of Intergroup Relations Research Articles

A social prospect theory of intergroup relations explains the occurrence of incremental progressive social change

A social prospect theory of intergroup relations explains the occurrence of incremental progressive social change

Group responses to deviance: Disentangling the motivational roles of collective enhancement and self-uncertainty reduction

In this paper, we describe two basic motives for social identification: a drive for collective enhancement and a drive for epistemic fulfillment (uncertainty reduction). We posit that these two motives are critical for understanding one of the fundamental underlying mechanisms of social identity theory (SIT): positive distinctiveness, which is a desire to feel different from and better than relevant outgroups. Whereas “positive” was clearly outlined in the original social identity theory of intergroup relations, “distinctiveness” became a focal point of self-categorization theory. Most existing literature treats positive distinctiveness as a single construct; however, we argue that the “positive” and “distinctive” elements should be treated as separate but critically intertwined concepts. We suggest that “positive” is a direct feature of a desire for collective enhancement, and “distinctiveness” from a relevant outgroup is necessary for self-categorization that provides information to reduce self-uncertainty. Using the subjective group dynamics framework, which has historically emphasized the enhancement motive, we mathematically show that the motives act sequentially and differently to affect responses to deviance and change from it.

Defend, Deny, Distance, and Dismantle: A New Measure of Advantaged Identity Management.

The experience of privilege can trigger psychological conflict among advantaged group members. Nonetheless, little work has explored strategies that advantaged group members use to manage their identities as privileged actors. Building on Knowles et al.'s framework and theories of intergroup relations, we address the conceptualization and measurement of advantaged group identity-management strategies. We aim to refine theorizing and validate a measure of these strategies across three contexts (U.S.'s White-Black relations, Israel's Jewish-Arab/Palestinian relations, and U.S.'s gender relations). This process yielded two novel conceptual and empirical contributions. First, we add a strategy-defend-in which advantaged-group members overtly justify inequality. Second, we discover that distancing has two facets (distancing from inequality and from identity). Across six studies, we find support for our proposed factor structure, measurement invariance, and construct validity. We discuss how advantaged groups contend with privilege and offer a tool for studying these strategies across domains and contexts.

Education and Inter-Ethnic Attitudes among Recent Immigrants in the Netherlands

Recent researchshows that better educated and structurally integrated immigrants do not articulate more positive attitudes toward the ethnic majority than immigrants who have lower levels of educational attainment, described as evidence of an “integration paradox.” While these findings have important implications for theories of immigrant integration, they stand in contrast with theories of intergroup relations, e.g., intergroup contact theory. Importantly, these findings also challenge the strong theoretical expectation that higher levels of education generate more positive intergroup attitudes, that is, the universality of the educational effect. Using four waves from ‘New Immigrants Survey Netherlands’ (NIS2NL) survey, I investigate attitudinal differences toward both the ethnic majority and other ethnic minorities in the Netherlands for four recent immigrant groups by focusing on the highest level of education from their country of origin. First, I analyze whether the relationship between education and outgroup attitudes differs toward the ethnic majority and toward ethnic minorities. Second, I look at how attitudes toward outgroups change over time. Findings indicate that immigrants with higher levels of educational attainment hold more positive attitudes toward other ethnic minority groups, and these attitudes are stable over time. Attitudes toward the ethnic majority, however, are initially very positive but become less so over time, regardless of level of education. The findings shed new light on the universality of the educational effect on interethnic attitudes by showing that higher levels of education among immigrants have a potential “liberalizing” effect only toward minority groups, but not toward the ethnic majority.

Individual and institutional discrimination: Theoretical and methodological contributions of social psychology

In France, as in many other countries, research has established the existence of origin-based discrimination. Where does this racial or ethnic discrimination come from, and why does it seem to last despite efforts to eradicate it? This article outlines the main findings on the issue in social psychology, whose contribution is still largely ignored in France. First, I describe the intergroup approach by discussing three major theories of intergroup relations developed in social psychology: realistic conflict theory, social identity theory, and social dominance theory. These theories have spurred much research, mostly about stereotyping and prejudice, but more rarely about discriminatory behavior. The reason for this neglect is that it is difficult to measure discriminatory behavior in a laboratory. In the second section, I present an experimental procedure inspired by social dominance theory, which aimed precisely at measuring discrimination. The first results obtained with this method are promising. The objective, in this case, was to measure individual discriminatory behaviors. However, discrimination and racism are not limited to individual attitudes or behaviors. In the third and final section on institutional discrimination, I show how social dominance theory and research developed in the United States to measure unintended racist bias provide an original and novel approach for understanding the contemporary manifestations of institutional discrimination. The findings of a series of studies conducted in France using different methods appear to be theoretically consistent with those obtained in the United States.

The social psychology of contemporary antisemitism

ABSTRACT This article focuses upon the social psychological aspects of antisemitism. Empirical research into three forms of antisemitism is reviewed through the lens of social psychological theories of social representation, intergroup relations and identity processes. Across research, perceived threat from Jews and Israel is a recurrent theme. The proposed integrative model suggests that negative social representations of Jews and Israel that accentuate intergroup threat can in turn have implications for identity processes at an individual level, mainly by curtailing feels of self-esteem, self-efficacy, continuity and distinctiveness. Identity threat can lead the individual to react defensively by engaging in antisemitism.

Toward more equal and mutual human-pet relations: Insights and possible solutions based on social psychological theories.

Human-pet relations are imbued with power imbalances, with many pets depending on humans for food and water, shelter, health care, and sheer survival. A majority of people report loving their pets and consider them to be integral family members; however, the care provided to pets varies widely and can be, in some cases, suboptimal. Yet, building more equal relations between humans and their pets could provide benefits to both parties. To achieve this increased equality and mutuality, the current paper proposes theory-based solutions. Specifically, and building on established social psychological theories, namely theories of intergroup relations and of human motivation, the current paper identifies both social and relational factors which, if socially and individually promoted, could trigger more equal and possibly mutually beneficial relationships with pets. We provide concrete examples illustrating how these factors can be maximized and promoted.

The association between vaccination status identification and societal polarization.

Public discord between those vaccinated and those unvaccinated for COVID-19 has intensified globally. Theories of intergroup relations propose that identifying with one's social group plays a key role in the perceptions and behaviours that fuel intergroup conflict. We test whether identification with one's vaccination status is associated with current societal polarization. The study draws on panel data from samples of vaccinated (n = 3,267) and unvaccinated (n = 2,038) respondents in Germany and Austria that were collected in December 2021 and February, March and July 2022. The findings confirm that vaccination status identification (VSI) explains substantial variance in a range of polarizing attitudes and behaviours. VSI was also related to higher psychological reactance toward mandatory vaccination policies among the unvaccinated. Higher levels of VSI reduced the gap between intended and actual counterbehaviours over time by the unvaccinated. VSI appears to be an important measure for predicting behavioural responses to vaccination policies.

Nameless, Voiceless, and Helpless: Visual Framing of Distant Outgroups in Online Humanitarian Appeals

ABSTRACT The current study examines how distant outgroups are portrayed in humanitarian appeals on a popular social media platform, YouTube. Social media is a growing platform for humanitarian organisations to spread messages about crises, as they can reach a wide audience in a quick and costless manner. Drawing from theories of visual framing and intergroup relations, this study analyses how organisations frame the outgroup beneficiaries in their online donation appeals. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to explore online humanitarian donation appeals, with a focus on the visual content used to portray outgroup beneficiaries. The study sampled 187 videos from 10 prominent humanitarian organisations’ YouTube channels. Findings indicate that while humanitarian organisations have largely moved away from an explicit rhetoric of frail, dying, and suffering subjects, subtle notions of helplessness are still prevalent. The narrative that outgroup beneficiaries are passive sufferers can hence be detrimental to intergroup relations.

Encouraging Better Treatments Through Macro Faultlines

Drawing upon demography and intergroup relations theory, we introduce the novel construct of macro-faultlines that separate groups of interdependent organizations into distinct subgroups of organizations based on their similar demographic and intrapersonal profiles. We test these ideas in three multi-level, multi-source, and multi-wave studies spanning 10 years of research based on national samples of substance abuse disorder (SUD) treatment centers, organized into regionally selected groups of organizations intended as collaborative platforms for the execution of clinical trials. We found that faultlines based on employee life events (e.g., addiction) overpowered demographic faultlines in their effects on adoption of innovation. Divides within client populations (e.g., relapse status) encouraged innovation via information availability, whereas divides within employee populations discourage innovation. Finally, both employee and client-based faultlines were related to increased adoption of evidence-based treatments over a ten-year period. Implications for innovative responses to the opioid epidemic and substance abuse treatment in general are discussed.

Bilateral Frictions, Institutional Logics and Foreign Market Exit of Family Firms

Globalization is pressured by bilateral frictions. Recognizing the complex nexus of drivers for foreign market exit decisions of family firms, this study investigates how bilateral frictions and institutional logics function in such decisions. Building on intergroup relations theory and the institutional logics perspective, and using a sample of 1252 foreign subsidiaries established by 297 Chinese family firms in 2008-2017, we find that value-based friction reduces foreign market exit, while historical military friction leads to higher foreign market exit by family firms. The positive impact of historical military friction on exit is also mitigated by a high state logic, while the negative impact of value-based friction on exit is reinforced by high state and family logics. The conceptual work and empirical results of this study prompt future studies to further explore the challenges for family firms’ globalization and their exit strategies.

Outgroup threat, ideology, and favorable evaluations of the government's responses to COVID-19.

Based on social psychological theories of intergroup relations, perceptions of threat from outgroups contribute to ingroup favoritism. This research examined the effects of the perceived threat from outgroups (the US) on Chinese people’s favorable evaluations of their government’s responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Study 1 conducted an experiment and found that the US’ criticism of China’s responses to the pandemic increased Chinese citizens’ favorable evaluations of the government’s performance. Study 2 was a correlational design and found that the relationship between perceptions of outgroup threats and evaluations of the government’s performance was moderated by ideology and the approval of lockdown policies. These results show that outgroups are sophisticatedly employed by politicians to increase ingroup favoritism and suggest that ideological divide is an important moderator in the association between outgroup threat and the evaluation of ingroup.

Multiple categorization and intergroup bias: Examining the generalizability of three theories of intergroup relations.

Research on intergroup bias usually focuses on a single dimension of social categorization. In real life, however, people are aware of others' multiple group memberships and use this information to form attitudes about them. The present research tests the predictive power of identification, perceived conflict, and perceived symbolic threat in explaining the strength of intergroup bias on various dimensions of social categorization in multiple categorization settings. We conduct a factorial survey experiment, manipulating 9 dimensions of social categorization in diverse samples from 4 countries (n = 12,810 observations, 1,281 participants representing 103 social groups). The dimensions studied are age, gender, ethnicity, religion, place of residence, education, occupation, income, and 1 country-specific dimension. This approach allows exploring the generalizability of established determinants of bias across dimensions of categorization, contexts, and target groups. Identification and symbolic threat showed good generalizability across countries and categorization dimensions, but their effects varied as a function of participant and target groups' status. Identification predicted stronger bias mainly when the participant belonged to a higher status and the target belonged to a lower status group. Symbolic threat predicted stronger bias mainly when the target was a minority group member. Conflict predicted bias only in few cases, and not only the strength but also the direction of the effects varied across countries, dimensions, and target and participant groups. These findings help to clarify the limits of generalizability of established determinants of intergroup bias and highlight the need for new explanations of social-cognitive processes among minority group members. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Monoracial perceivers’ sociopolitical motives and their inclusion versus exclusion of multiracial people

ABSTRACT Many societies today are organised as race-based social hierarchies, with clear boundaries between racial groups at the top versus bottom. The growth of multiracial populations has been heralded as holding the potential to blur existing group boundaries. But whether multiracial people do blur boundaries depends critically on how monoracial perceivers categorise them. We review our research programme on how monoracial perceivers’ categorisation of multiracials depends on sociopolitical motives. We present the Sociopolitical Motive × Intergroup Threat Model of Racial Categorisation, which describes how sociopolitical motives interact with specific threats to drive multiracial categorisation, and how this depends on perceivers’ group position in the racial status hierarchy. Our empirical work is based on the U.S. context, but we discuss how our research, grounded in theories of intergroup relations that have been tested cross-culturally – social dominance, system justification, authoritarianism, and social identity theories – may apply more broadly.

The effects of COVID-19 on virtual working within online groups

Employees may continue to work remotely for a substantial amount of time, even after the end of the pandemic. Our established theories of group processes and intergroup relations can help us understand these new ways of working and online group experiences. However, there are key differences in computer-mediated and face-to-face (FtF) groups. In this essay, I present some of the extant robust theories and findings from computer communication research to understand virtual working within online groups. These perspectives include that group processes develop over a longer period of time as compared to FtF, informal communication is neglected, computer-mediated groups have some advantages over FtF groups, sociomateriality is a useful theoretical lens, and dispersion affects group member cognitions about each other. I use my own lab’s work on entitativity as an example of how moving from FtF to online group research can deepen our understanding of both FtF and online groups. The essay concludes with recommendations for future research.

Person and situation effects in predicting outgroup prejudice and avoidance during the COVID-19 pandemic

Recent theories of intergroup relations suggest that factors relevant to disease, disgust, and contagion predict prejudice towards ethnic outgroups. The current research explored the influence of contextual pathogen threat and individual differences in threat sensitivity on outgroup prejudice and avoidance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from a sample of British adults in June 2020 (N = 524). A multi-level approach was employed to capture differences in confirmed COVID-19 cases across different regions in the UK. Results demonstrated that even in a “strong” pandemic context, individual differences in both disgust sensitivity (DS) and intergroup disgust sensitivity (ITG-DS) explained variability in outgroup distancing. Subjective perceptions of contextual pathogen prevalence, but not actual infection rates, also predicted greater outgroup avoidance. However, a significant cross-level interaction revealed that DS predicted outgroup distancing in regions with higher numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases, but not in areas of lower infection. Thus, individual differences in pathogen avoidance may be especially influential under high situational pathogen stress. There was also some evidence that pathogen threat also predicted greater ingroup attraction. Results provide important insights into factors that promote or inhibit positive intergroup relations during pandemics.

Supplemental Material for Multiple Categorization and Intergroup Bias: Examining the Generalizability of Three Theories of Intergroup Relations

Supplemental Material for Multiple Categorization and Intergroup Bias: Examining the Generalizability of Three Theories of Intergroup Relations

In the Blood: The Consequences of Naturalising Microsegregation in Workplace Social Networks

This study explored workplace social networks in order to understand practices of inclusion and exclusion in the context of an increasingly diverse workplace in post-apartheid South Africa. We found that the ways in which space is occupied shows marked continuities with the era of formalised segregation during the preceding periods of colonialism and apartheid. We contend that intergroup relations theory and homophily assist in providing a partial understanding of the pervasive microsegregation observed within a South African organisation. We offer that a historied account of the continuing race-based accounts of microsegregation is more productive for understanding this phenomenon in a country with a past that formalised segregation across all areas of social life. We explore the meanings that people assign to segregation patterns within the workplace based on data emerging out of 54 interviews, nine naturalistic observations and a group discussion conducted within the headquarters of a major bank in Johannesburg. Discourses of linguistic and cultural differences were used to rationalise segregation and naturalise racialised differences. The material effects of segregation were noted to be particularly onerous for Black bankers. As a capitalist class, we however found that Black bankers resist, adapt, subvert and reinscribe power relations in ways that simultaneously serve their interests while also potentially limiting their opportunities. We point to the agentic aspects of social networks for marginalised groups and contend that representation is not sufficient to ensure inclusion.

Social identification with animals: Unpacking our psychological connection with other animals.

Our relations with other animals are ubiquitous in human life, yet the psychological structure of our connection with animals is just beginning to receive empirical attention. Drawing on theories of social identification and intergroup relations, we investigate the various ways that people identify with animals. Across 7 studies, we introduce the Identification with Animals Measure (IWAM) and uncover 3 dimensions by which humans identify with animals as a group: solidarity with animals, animal pride, and human-animal similarity. First, we establish the reliability, factorial structure, and predictive validity of the 3-factor IWAM. Next, we find that these factors predict a distinct set of attitudes and behaviors toward animals. Solidarity with animals is defined by feeling connected to other animals and is associated with more contact with animals (i.e., pets) and a greater desire to help animals and to engage in collective actions on their behalf, even if this implies withdrawing privileges to humans. Human-animal similarity is defined by the perception that animals share similarities with humans; this dimension is associated with increased moral concern for their welfare and a greater attribution of typically human traits to other animals. Finally, animal pride is defined by a direct recognition and positive endorsement of the social category that includes all animals, and is associated with viewing humans as more animal-like, and with more competitive and instrumental intergroup relations. The findings confirm that identification with animals is a multidimensional construct that is colored by the unique and complex nature of our relations with nonhuman animals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Affective solidarities or group boundaries? Muslims’ place in America’s racial and religious order

ABSTRACT Muslims in the U.S. have been politically targeted as a threat to the nation. Yet, little is known about how most Americans’ attitudes are formed toward this growing group. While often othered in terms of their religion, race-ethnicity, and national background, Muslims also constitute the latest minority group in America’s racialized landscape. This study draws on theories of race-ethnicity, intergroup relations, and religious exclusion to situate Muslims relative to existing intergroup relations in the United States. Using four waves of the American National Election Survey, the study finds little evidence for affective solidarities between America’s largest racial-ethnic groups and Muslims. Instead, intergroup boundaries tend to predict lower levels of Muslim favorability. Further, the study uncovers a religious dimension concentrated among largely White evangelical Protestants. Findings are discussed within the context of sociodemographic changes in the U.S., and the prospect for shifting colour lines in the wake of increasing immigration-led diversity.