A dual identity reduces prejudice when it signals progress rather than threat
Evidence
In contrast, as national crises in Ireland and the former Yugoslavia suggest, in times of unusual competition or threat within a country or of political instability, the existence of a dual identity may intensify the salience of the separate group identities and thus may refuel intergroup conflict compared to a purely one-group or separate-individuals representation. Under these conditions, as Social Identity Theory posits, the tension created between the two incompatible identities may trigger greater intergroup conflict, in part because each subgroup projects its beliefs and values as the standard by which all other groups within the overarching identity should be judged (Mummendey & Wenzel, 1999). This projection increases the likelihood that one’s own group will be perceived as superior (increasing “love-prejudice”) and that the other group will be viewed as inferior (increasing “hate-prejudice”). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 594
Categorization
- ADDENDUM: A fine discriminating nuance for the existing contact-theory claims thread: the valence of a dual identity depends on whether it signals progress or threat — a moderating condition worth weighing against prior formulations.
- XREF: Connects to the Allport-contact-theory vault thread and the reading-purpose framing on dual-identity/recategorization models. — connects to: Longer equivalential chains make the enemy’s identity less stable. — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 454; Superordinate identities reduce bias and can mitigate perceived threat between groups. — Blake M. Riek, Eric W. Mania, and Samuel L. Gaertner, Intergroup Threat and Outgroup…, 174; Need for significance predicts extremism mainly when combined with discrimination or activist identity — Lea Echelmeyer, Anne-Marie Slotboom, and Frank Weerman, The Putative Effect of Identity on…, 234 (+3 more)
- corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 594