Heterogeneity of Ingroup Identity and Anti-Immigrant Prejudice: The Moderating Role of RWA and Outgroup Homogeneity

Natasha S. Frederic; Juan M. Falomir-Pichastor

doi:10.5334/irsp.152

Abstract

Past research has shown that a heterogeneous (vs. homogeneous) ingroup identity can lead to more outgroup derogation amongst people high on conservative values (Roccas and Amit, 2011) and group identification (Falomir-Pichastor and Frederic, 2013). In three studies we tested the hypotheses that a heterogeneous ingroup identity leads to greater derogation towards immigrants among nationals’ high on RWA, and when immigrants constitute a homogeneous (vs. heterogeneous) outgroup. In all studies we assessed RWA. We manipulated the heterogeneity (vs. homogeneity) of ingroup identity in Studies 1–2 and kept the heterogeneous condition constant in Study 3, we also manipulated outgroup heterogeneity (vs. homogeneity) in Studies 2–3. Finally, outgroup derogation was assessed through two different prejudice scales (Studies 1–2) and an intergroup discrimination scale. Results provided consistent evidence in support of the hypotheses. We discuss the implications of these findings regarding social identity theory and intergroup relations.

References

1Akrami, N., Ekehammar, B., & Araya, T. (2000). Classical and modern racial prejudice: A study of attitudes towards immigrants in Sweden. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 521–532. DOI: 10.1002/1099-0992(200007/08)30:4<;521::AID-EJSP5>3.0.CO;2-N
Back to article
2Altemeyer, B. (1998). The other “authoritarian personality”. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 30, 47–91. DOI: 10.1027/1614-0001.27.3.117
Back to article
3Badea, C., Brauer, M., & Rubin, M. (2012). The effects of winning and losing on perceived group variability. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 1094–1099. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.03.006
Back to article
4Barth, F. (1969). Ethnic groups and boundaries. The social organization of culture difference. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
Back to article
5Brewer, M. B. (1993). Social identity, distinctiveness, and ingroup homogeneity. Social Cognition, 11, 150–164. DOI: 10.1521/soco.1993.11.1.150
Back to article
6Caglar, A. S. (1997). Hyphenated identities and the limits of “culture”. In: Modood, T., & Werbner, P. (eds.), The politics of multiculturalism in the new Europe, 169–185. London: Zed Books.
Back to article
7Castano, E., & Yzerbyt, V. Y. (1998). The highs and lows of group homogeneity. Behavioural Processes, 42, 219–238. DOI: 10.1016/S0376-6357(97)00078-8
Back to article
8Cuddy, A. J. C., Fiske, S. T., Demoulin, S., & Leyens, J.-P. (2000). Stereotype content of social groups, as perceived by Belgian respondents. Unpublished data, Princeton University.
Back to article
9Dambrun, M., & Guimond, S. (2001). La théorie de la privation relative et l’hostilité envers les Nord-Africains [Relative deprivation theory and hostility towards North Africans]. Revue Internationale de Psychologie Sociale, 14, 57–89.
Back to article
10Dambrun, M., Maisonneuve, C., Duarte, S., & Guimond, S. (2002). Mode d’utilisation de quelques déterminants psychosociaux de l’attitude envers l’extrême droite [Modeling the social-psychological determinants of support for extreme right-wing movements]. Les Cahiers Internationaux de Psychologie Sociale, 55, 49–63.
Back to article
11Doosje, B., Spears, R., Ellemers, N., & Koomen, W. (1999). Perceived group variability in intergroup relations: The distinctive role of social identity. European review of social psychology, 10, 41–74. DOI: 10.1080/14792779943000017
Back to article
12Duckitt, J., Bizumic, B., Krauss, S. W., & Heled, E. (2010). A tripartite approach to right-wing authoritarianism: The authoritarianism-conservatism-traditionalism model. Political Psychology, 31, 5685–715. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9221.2010.00781.x
Back to article
13Duckitt, J., Wagner, C., du Plessis, I., & Birum, I. (2002). The psychological bases of ideology and prejudice: Testing a dual process model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 75–93. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.83.1.75
Back to article
14Eckes, T. (2002). Paternalistic and envious gender stereotypes: Testing predictions from the stereotype content model. Sex Roles, 47, 99–114. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:102102092
Back to article
15Ellemers, N., Spears, R., & Doosje, B. (1997). Sticking together or falling apart: Group identification as a psychological determinant of group commitment versus individual mobility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 123–140. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.72.3.617
Back to article
16Er-rafiy, A., & Brauer, M. (2012). Increasing perceived variability reduces prejudice and discrimination: Theory and application. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 6, 920–935. DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12000
Back to article
17Er-rafiy, A., & Brauer, M. (2013). Modifying perceived variability: Four laboratory and field experiments show the effectiveness of a ready-to-be-used prejudice intervention. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43, 840–853. DOI: 10.1111/jasp.12010
Back to article
18Falomir-Pichastor, J. M., & Frederic, N. (2013). The dark side of heterogeneous in group identities: National identification, perceived threat, and prejudice against immigrants. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 72–79. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.08.016
Back to article
19Falomir-Pichastor, J. M., Munoz-Rojas, D., Invernizzi, F., & Mugny, G. (2004). Perceived ingroup threat as a factor moderating the influence of ingroup norms on discrimination against foreigners. European Journal of Social Psychology, 34, 135–153. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.189
Back to article
20Gabarrot, F., & Falomir-Pichastor, J. M. (2017). Ingroup identification increases differentiation in response to egalitarian ingroup norm under distinctiveness threat. International Review of Social Psychology, 30, 219–228. DOI: 10.5334/irsp.22
Back to article
21Gellner, E. (1997). Nationalism. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
Back to article
22Jetten, J., & Spears, R. (2003). The divisive potential of differences and similarities: The role of intergroup distinctiveness in intergroup differentiation. European Review of Social Psychology, 14, 203–241. DOI: 10.1080/10463280340000063
Back to article
23Jetten, J., Spears, R., & Manstead, A. S. R. (1997). Distinctiveness threat and prototypicality: Combined effects on intergroup discrimination and collective self-esteem. European Journal of Social Psychology, 27, 635–657.
Back to article
24Jetten, J., Spears, R., & Manstead, A. S. R. (2001). Similarity as a source of differentiation: The role of group identification. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 621–640. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.72
Back to article
25Jetten, J., Spears, R., & Postmes, T. (2004). Intergroup distinctiveness and differentiation: A meta-analytic integration. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86, 862–879. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.86.6.862
Back to article
26Kauff, M., Asbrock, F., Thörnen, S., & Wagner, V. (2013). Side effects of multiculturalism: The interaction effect of a multicultural ideology and authoritarianism on prejudice and diversity beliefs. Personality and Psychology Bulletin, 39, 305–320. DOI: 10.1177/0146167212473160
Back to article
27Linville, P. W., Salovey, P., & Fischer, G. W. (1986). Stereotyping and perceived distributions of social characteristics: An application to ingroup outgroup perception. In: Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (eds.), Prejudice, Discrimination, and Racism, 165–208. Orlando: Academic Press.
Back to article
28Mahfud, Y., Badea, C., & N’gbala, A. (2015). Distance culturelle et préjugés à l’égard des immigrés en France: le rôle des modèles d’intégration [Cultural distance and prejudice toward immigrants in France: The role of integration models]. Revue Internationale de Psychologie Sociale, 28, 53–79.
Back to article
29Messick, D. M., & Mackie, D. M. (1989). Intergroup relations. Annual Review of Psychology, 40, 45–81. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ps.40.020189.000401
Back to article
30Onraet, E., Dhont, K., & Van Hiel, A. (2014). The relationships between internal and external threat and right-wing attitudes: A three-wave longitudinal study. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40, 715–725. DOI: 10.1177/0146167214524256
Back to article
31Park, B., Judd, C. M., & Ryan, C. S. (1991). Social categorization and the representation of variability information. In: Stroebe, W., & Hewstone, M. (eds.), European Review of Social Psychology, 2(9), 211–245. Chichester: Wiley. DOI: 10.1080/14792779143000079
Back to article
32Pehrson, S., Vignoles, V., & Brown, R. (2009). National identification and anti-immigrant prejudice: Individual and contextual effects of national definitions. Social Psychology Quarterly, 72, 24–38. DOI: 10.1177/019027250907200104
Back to article
33Pettigrew, T. F., & Meertens, R. W. (1995). Subtle and blatant prejudice in western Europe. European Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 57–75. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2420250106
Back to article
34Quattrone, G. A. (1986). On the perception of a group’s variability. In: Worchel, S., & Austin, W. G. (eds.), Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
Back to article
35Reicher, S. D., & Hopkins, N. (2001). Self and nation: Categorization, contestation and mobilisation. London: Sage. DOI: 10.4135/9781446220429
Back to article
36Roblain, A., Malki, B., Azzi, A., & Licata, L. (2017). After coming in, settling in: An analysis of early-stage acculturation preferences of male Syrian and Iraqi asylum seekers in Belgium. International Review of Social Psychology, 30, 20–28. DOI: 10.5334/irsp.49
Back to article
37Roccas, S., & Amit, A. (2011). Group heterogeneity and tolerance: The moderating role of conservation values. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 898–907. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2011.03.011
Back to article
38Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theory and empirical tests in 20 countries. In: Zanna, M. (ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology, 25, 1–65. New York: Academic Press. DOI: 10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60281-6
Back to article
39Simon, B., & Brown, R. (1987). Perceived intragroup homogeneity in minority majority contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 705–711. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.53.4.703
Back to article
40Simon, B., & Klandermans, B. (2001). Politicized collective identity: A social psychological analysis. American Psychologist, 56, 319–331. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.56.4.319
Back to article
41Tajfel, H. (1969). Cognitive aspects of prejudice. Journal of Social Issues, 25, 79–97. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1969.tb00620.x
Back to article
42Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In: Austin, W. G., & Worchel, S. (eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations, 33–47. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Back to article
43Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In: Worchel, S., & Austin, W. G. (eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations. Chicago: Nelson Hall.
Back to article
44Tajfel, H., & Wilkes, A. L. (1963). Classification and quantitative judgement. British Journal of Psychology, 54, 101–114. DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1963.tb00865.x
Back to article
45Thomsen, L., Green, E., & Sidanius, J. (2008). We will hunt them down: How social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism fuel ethnic persecution of immigrants in fundamentally different ways. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 1455–1464. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2008.06.011
Back to article
46Turner, J. C., Hogg, M. A., Oakes, P. J., Reicher, S. D., & Wetherell, M. S. (1987). Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory. Oxford: Blackwell.
Back to article
47Vanneman, R. D., & Pettigrew, T. F. (1972). Race and relative deprivation in the urban United States. Race and Class, 13, 461–486. DOI: 10.1177/030639687201300404
Back to article
48Wilder, D. A. (1978). Reduction of intergroup discrimination through individuation of the outgroup. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 1361–1374. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.36.12.1361
Back to article
49Wright, S. C., & Baray, G. (2012). Models of social change in social psychology: Collective action or prejudice reduction? Conflict or harmony? In: Dixon, J., & Levine, M. (eds.), Beyond prejudice: Extending the social psychology of conflict, inequality and social change, 225–247. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Back to article

Heterogeneity of Ingroup Identity and Anti-Immigrant Prejudice: The Moderating Role of RWA and Outgroup Homogeneity

Abstract

Paradigm

My account