Eliminating group salience backfires because identity is meaningful and perceptually unavoidable

Evidence

Today many theories of intergroup relations imply a central role for self-conscious ingroup identity, such as “whiteness,” in group members’ political preferences (Bobo, 1999; LeVine & Campbell, 1972; Sidanius & Pratto, 1999). For instance, recent work has focused on White guilt about Blacks’ disadvantages as a subset of the broader category of collective guilt (Branscombe & Doosje, 2005). In contrast, a symbolic-politics theory views ingroup identity as being historically contingent rather than psychologically hard-wired (Sears, 1993). Sometimes group norms emphasize it; in the old South, Whites’ racial identity was perhaps their primary social identity. But sometimes not, as in the waning attachment to national origins among today’s descendants of nineteenth-century European immigrants. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2191 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Finally, Allport suggested that ingroup significance – or “potency,” as he called it – tended to decline with increasing size and inclusiveness of category memberships. He showed a figure consisting of a series of concentric circles with the “family” at the center and “mankind” as the outermost ring (see figure 5.1 of Gaertner & Dovidio’s ch. 5, below). However, he also acknowledged that this need not always be the case and that particular situational contingencies could bring even some very large category memberships to the forefront of people’s priorities. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 425 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Attention is not just a filter of perception but the formative interface of identity — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 355; Observing others’ behaviour shapes one’s own behaviour most when shared identity is high. — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 131; 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 (+10 more)

Broader Connections

• Ingroup identity salience is historically contingent, not psychologically fixed #complicates (0.82) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2191
• Identification potency declines as group categories grow more inclusive but can be situationally revived #complicates (0.74) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 425