Self-Depersonalization and Ingroup Favoritism in Minimal Group Hierarchies

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Iacoviello ◽  
Fabio Lorenzi-Cioldi
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
The Other ◽  
High Status ◽  
Identity Threat ◽  
Minimal Group ◽  
Status Group ◽  
Social Identity Threat ◽  
The Status ◽  
Ingroup Favoritism

Abstract. Research suggests that members of low-status groups are more likely than members of high-status groups to show self-depersonalization and to favor ingroup members over outgroup members. The present research tests two alternative explanations of this status asymmetry: One explanation is based on the motive for achieving a positive social identity, and the other explanation is based on the willingness to cope with a social identity threat. Three minimal group experiments examine these two explanations. Supporting the identity motive explanation, the findings show that self-depersonalization (Studies 1–3) and ingroup favoritism (Study 3) are less prominent in the high-status group than in the low-status and the status-unspecified groups. Moreover, the results do not support the identity threat explanation because self-depersonalization and ingroup favoritism were not weaker in the low-status group than in the status-unspecified group.

Managing a Social Identity Threat

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Pagliaro ◽  
Francesca Romana Alparone ◽  
Maria Giuseppina Pacilli ◽  
Angelica Mucchi-Faina
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Identity Threat ◽  
Status Group ◽  
Social Identity Threat ◽  
Social Creativity ◽  
Threatening Situation

We examined how members of a low status group react to a social identity threat. We propose that expressing an ambivalent evaluation toward the ingroup may represent a way to manage such a threatening situation. For this study, 131 undergraduates’ identification with Italians was assessed. Participants were divided into groups, according to a situational identity threat (high vs. low). In line with hypotheses, low identifiers expressed more ambivalence toward the ingroup in the high (vs. low) threat condition. The reversed pattern emerged for high identifiers. This effect was mediated by the perception of intragroup variability, a well-known social creativity strategy. Results confirmed our interpretation of ambivalence as a form of social creativity, and are discussed in terms of social identity concerns.

DO HIGH-STATUS GROUPS DISCRIMINATE MORE? DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN SOCIAL IDENTITY AND EQUITY CONCERNS

2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Klein ◽  
Assaad Azzi
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
High Status ◽  
Status Group ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
The Status

A number of studies have found that high status groups tend to discriminate more than low status groups. This tendency can be interpreted as reflecting either a desire to maintain a positive social identity or an application of equity. An experiment was conducted in order to examine the roles of these two factors. The independent variables were status (high vs. low), and the nature of the relation between the dimension on which status was defined and the dimension on which in-group bias was measured (relation, no relation). When the two dimensions were related, equity was expected to be relevant. Therefore it was predicted that the status differential would be reproduced through the allocations. Contrary to this hypothesis, neither the high nor the low status group displayed in-group favoritism in this condition. The authors suggest that the use of two related dimensions rather than only one, as in previous studies, is responsible for such a discrepancy. It was further predicted that when the two dimensions were unrelated, equity would be irrelevant and therefore members of both groups would display in-group bias on the new dimension-either as a means of preserving a positive social identity or in order to achieve one. This second hypothesis was confirmed.

Processing of Social Identity Threats

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 361-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natascha de Hoog
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Social Identification ◽  
Negative Group ◽  
Identity Threat ◽  
Neutral Group ◽  
Threat Perceptions ◽  
Social Identity Threat ◽  
Identity Threats ◽  
Group Information ◽  
Source Study

The underlying process of reactions to social identity threat was examined from a defense motivation perspective. Two studies measured respondents’ social identification, after which they read threatening group information. Study 1 compared positive and negative group information, attributed to an ingroup or outgroup source. Study 2 compared negative and neutral group information to general negative information. It was expected that negative group information would induce defense motivation, which reveals itself in biased information processing and in turn affects the evaluation of the information. High identifiers should pay more attention to, have higher threat perceptions of, more defensive thoughts of, and more negative evaluations of negative group information than positive or neutral group information. Findings generally supported these predictions.

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