Diverse intergroup contact increases cognitive complexity of one’s multiple identities

Evidence

Encountering diverse others, who may be in-group members on some categories (e.g., gender, profession), but out-group members on others (e.g., religion, ethnicity) should prompt individuals to engage in increased cognitive differentiation processes and thus positively affect social identity complexity. In our two studies in Northern Ireland, already referred to above, we confirmed such a positive relationship, revealing that positive intergroup contact with the ethnopolitical out-group was positively associated with similarity, as well as overlap complexity (Schmid et al., 2009). — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 565 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Even if eliminating category salience can seem theoretically advantageous, group memberships are frequently both subjectively and collectively meaningful and emotionally significant, and in such cases group members are reluctant to surrender their identity and distinctiveness (Brewer, 1991). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1817 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Intergroup and intragroup context boundaries blur for mixed-identity individuals — Anna X. Huang, Jacqueline M. Chen, and Juliane Degner, Being One or the Other, Both or…, 56; Multiracial identity development proceeds non-uniformly across shared experiences — Tatiana I. Zamora and Amado M. Padilla, Making sense of conflicting messages of…, 34; Ethnopolitically segregated neighborhoods predict lower identity complexity (+11 more)

Broader Connections

• Contact with cross-cutting others increases the cognitive complexity of one’s social identity. #corroborates (0.95) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 565
• Group members resist surrendering meaningful category identities during intergroup contact #complicates (0.90) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1817
• Perceived threat to group distinctiveness reduces social identity complexity #complicates (0.85)
• Recategorization into a common identity, not cooperation itself, reduces intergroup bias #complicates (0.73) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 572