Outgroup Helping as a Tool to Communicate Ingroup Warmth

Abstract

The authors extend previous research on the effects of metastereotype activation on outgroup helping by examining in more detail the role of group impression management motives and by studying direct helping (i.e., helping the outgroup believed to hold a negative view of the ingroup). Data from three experiments provided full support for the communicative nature of direct outgroup helping by demonstrating that outgroup helping in response to a negative metastereotype was predicted by participants’ concern for the image of their ingroup, but not by their self-image concerns. Moreover, group image concerns predicted outgroup helping but not ingroup helping and predicted outgroup helping only when a negative metastereotype was activated, compared with a positive metastereotype, or a (negative or positive) autostereotype. The results also ruled out an alternative explanation in terms of denying the self-relevance of the metastereotype.

‘Sometimes, it's not just about the food': The social identity dynamics of foodbank helping transactions

“…The IHSR model demonstrates how helping transactions can reinforce status differences, and may be used strategically by higher-status groups to maintain power or promote a positive social identity (Nadler, 2002). The latter motivation is of particular relevance in the foodbank context: by using help as a way to communicate warmth/generosity (Hopkins et al, 2007;van Leeuwen & T€ auber, 2012) volunteers may strategically promote a positive social identity in contrast to the clients' negative social identity of incapability. Clients may therefore become reticent about seeking help from volunteers, jeopardising effective helping (Nadler & Halabi, 2006).…”

The Counter-Normative Effects of Service-Learning: Fostering Attitudes toward Social Equality through Contact and Autonomy

“…Research on motives for intergroup helping (van Leeuwen & Täuber, 2012) is a fruitful starting point. Although IPB by high status groups is at times guided by a sense of shared community and civic engagement (omoto, Snyder, & Hackett, 2010) or core personal values such as generosity or social justice, more egoistic concerns such as impression-management can also be motivating (van Leeuwen, & Täuber, 2010).…”

The combined effects of meta-stereotypes and audience on outgroup and ingroup helping.

“…The procedure was adopted from van Leeuwen and Täuber (2012), with a few small modifications. Participants were informed that they were participating in a program called the Amsterdam Student Platform (ASP), comprised of the two Amsterdam universities (VU and UA) and an Amsterdam school for higher education.…”

“…They found that Scottish participants who believed that the English viewed them as mean were more motivated to help the Welsh (a second outgroup), but not the Scots (the ingroup). In a follow-up investigation, van Leeuwen and Täuber (2012) demonstrated that this effect extends to helping the source of threat (i.e., the outgroup believed to hold a negative stereotypic view of the ingroup). Moreover, outgroup helping could be directly linked to group members' concerns about their ingroup's image.…”