Solidarity through shared disadvantage: Highlighting shared experiences of discrimination improves relations between stigmatized groups.

Abstract

Intergroup relations research has largely focused on relations between members of dominant groups and members of disadvantaged groups. The small body of work examining intraminority intergroup relations, or relations between members of different disadvantaged groups, reveals that salient experiences of ingroup discrimination promote positive relations between groups that share a dimension of identity (e.g., 2 different racial minority groups) and negative relations between groups that do not share a dimension of identity (e.g., a racial minority group and a sexual minority group). In the present work, we propose that shared experiences of discrimination between groups that do not share an identity dimension can be used as a lever to facilitate positive intraminority intergroup relations. Five experiments examining relations among 4 different disadvantaged groups supported this hypothesis. Both blatant (Experiments 1 and 3) and subtle (Experiments 2, 3, and 4) connections to shared experiences of discrimination, or inducing a similarity-seeking mindset in the context of discrimination faced by one's ingroup (Experiment 5), increased support for policies benefiting the outgroup (Experiments 1, 2, and 4) and reduced intergroup bias (Experiments 3, 4, and 5). Taken together, these experiments provide converging evidence that highlighting shared experiences of discrimination can improve intergroup outcomes between stigmatized groups across dimensions of social identity. Implications of these findings for intraminority intergroup relations are discussed.

Feeling for and as a group member: Understanding LGBT victimization via group‐based empathy and intergroup emotions

“…Furthering our argument for the importance of group‐based empathy, empathic ties seem to be important in the formation and maintenance of groups, and also in responses to discrimination (e.g., Cortland et al ., ). Social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, ) suggests that social groups are formed when individuals feel similar to one another on a particular dimension.…”

“…This similarity may help group members understand and feel what their fellow group members experience; that is, perceptions of similarity may help to foster strong empathic ties within groups. In addition, Cortland et al (2017) found that perceptions of similarity, this time across disadvantaged groups (Black people and gay people), increase empathyand also support for pro-action in the face of discrimination (Exp 2).…”

“…In addition, Cortland et al . () found that perceptions of similarity, this time across disadvantaged groups (Black people and gay people), increase empathy – and also support for pro‐action in the face of discrimination (Exp 2).…”

“…These empathic ties, then, serve to guide group-relevant and group-based emotions, attitudes, and behaviours to maintain, promote, and protect the group (e.g., Tajfel & Turner, 1986), and have also been identified as a response to discrimination (Cortland et al, 2017). So, in the case of hate crimes perpetrated against ingroup members, this suggests fellow group members will have greater empathy for an ingroup member than an outgroup member (e.g., Cikara et al, 2011) because they feel more similar to the ingroup member.…”

Stigmatized‐Identity Cues in Consumer Spaces

“…Stigma solidarity often functions as an individual difference in which some individuals endorse this belief more strongly than others (Chaney et al., ), but it can also be situationally activated. For example, participants who are asked to first consider the similarities between two stigmatized groups, such as the parallels between the fight for interracial marriage and same‐sex marriage, are more likely to adopt a belief in stigma solidarity (Cortland et al., ).…”