A shared superordinate identity can backfire by fueling subgroup in-group projection.

Evidence

Although recategorization may reduce some types of intergroup threat, it is possible that it may contribute to distinctiveness threat. There is evidence that a common identity can increase bias in some instances. According to Mummendy and Wenzel (1999), group members project the attributes of their subgroup onto the superordinate identity, resulting in members of each subgroup perceiving themselves as more typical of the superordinate group than members of the other subgroup. This leads to perceiving members of the other subgroup as norm violators and poor exemplars of the superordinate category, which results in elevated levels of bias (Waldzus, Mummendey, Wenzel, & Weber, 2003). — Blake M. Riek, Eric W. Mania, and Samuel L. Gaertner, Intergroup Threat and Outgroup Attitudes, 176

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Recategorization into a common identity can backfire and increase subgroup bias via distinctiveness loss. — Blake M. Riek, Eric W. Mania, and Samuel L. Gaertner, Intergroup Threat and Outgroup…, 176; Recategorizing outgroup members as ingroup members diminishes perceived threat. — Blake M. Riek, Eric W. Mania, and Samuel L. Gaertner, Intergroup Threat and Outgroup…, 175

Related

• Recategorization into a common identity can backfire and increase subgroup bias via distinctiveness loss. (similarity 0.95)
• Recategorization can backfire by making subgroups vie to embody the shared identity. (similarity 0.93)
• Recategorizing outgroup members as ingroup members diminishes perceived threat. (similarity 0.92)
• Recategorizing out-groups within a shared superordinate category can reduce bias without erasing subgroup identities (similarity 0.88)
• Superordinate identities reduce bias and can mitigate perceived threat between groups. (similarity 0.86)
• Threat to distinctiveness drives more complex identity structures, but evidence is sparse (similarity 0.85)
• People gravitate toward subgroup over superordinate identities in nested categories (similarity 0.84)
• Groups are perceived as more threatening than individuals, so dissolving category boundaries lowers threat. (similarity 0.84)
• Individuals prefer superordinate identity when the subgroup is too small to satisfy inclusion needs. (similarity 0.84)
• Reframing outgroups as part of a shared superordinate identity reduces bias (similarity 0.84)
• Recognizing subgroup identities within a shared team identity reduces intergroup bias. (similarity 0.83)
• Groups very similar to the ingroup provoke more intergroup bias than dissimilar ones do. (similarity 0.83)
• Similarity of an outgroup raises bias only among highly identified ingroup members. (similarity 0.83)
• Changing how people categorize others can reduce intergroup threat. (similarity 0.83)
• Simultaneous subgroup and superordinate identification reduces intergroup conflict (similarity 0.82)