Does a common ingroup identity reduce intergroup threat?

Abstract

Intergroup threat is regarded as a cause of negative outgroup attitudes; however, little research has attempted to examine ways of reducing intergroup threat. Two studies examine the effectiveness of a superordinate identity for reducing intergroup threat. It was predicted that when two groups were aware of a shared identity, intergroup threat would be lowered and attitudes would become more positive. In Study 1, perceptions of common identities among Black and White students were related to decreases in intergroup threat and increases in positive outgroup attitudes. In Study 2, when their shared identity as Americans was made salient, Democrats and Republicans experienced less threat and more positive outgroup attitudes compared to when political party identities alone were salient. In both studies, intergroup threat acted as a mediator of the relationship between common identity and outgroup attitudes, suggesting that a common identity increases positive outgroup attitudes by first reducing intergroup threat.

Media‐Induced Elevation as a Means of Enhancing Feelings of Intergroup Connectedness

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Does Islam play a role in anti-immigrant sentiment? An experimental approach

“…can cancel the negative bias from another identity (Riek et al, 2010). In fact, in Brewer's formulation there is no reason why people can't have strong ingroup attachments while simultaneously holding positive, or neutral opinions of the outgroup.…”

Feeling like a group after a natural disaster: Common ingroup identity and relations with outgroup victims among majority and minority young children

“…Basic predictions of the CIIM have been supported by an impressive number of experimental (e.g., Dovidio et al ., ; Gaertner, Mann, Murrell, & Dovidio, ; Gonzalez & Brown, ; Hall, Crisp, & Suen, ; Riek, Mania, Gaertner, McDonald, & Lamoreaux, ; Study 2), longitudinal (Levin, Sinclair, Sidanius, & Van Laar, ; Schofield, Hausmann, Ye, & Woods, ), and cross‐sectional (e.g., Capozza, Trifiletti, Vezzali, & Favara, ; Capozza, Vezzali, Trifiletti, Falvo, & Favara, ; Gaertner, Rust, Dovidio, Bachman, & Anastasio, ) studies. Moreover, there are indications that the CIIM is also an effective prejudice‐reduction strategy among young children (Guerra, Rebelo, Monteiro, & Gaertner, ; Guerra et al ., ).…”