Group identification in inclusive categories depends on which social comparison defines the category’s inclusiveness

Evidence

As theory stipulates (Brewer, 1993) and evidence supports (Hornsey & Hogg, 1999), group members identify with and prefer the more exclusive subgroup particularly as the superordinate category’s inclusiveness increases. Moreover, group inclusiveness originates from social comparisons (Brewer, 1991; Leonardelli et al., 2010), and, in particular, the size of one category relative to another. However, what has not been addressed, but has important implications for group identification in nested category contexts, is what social comparison is defining the superordinate category’s inclusiveness. We distinguish between two such comparisons: (1) vertical and (2) horizontal comparisons. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 684

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 684
• XREF: connects to: State recognition channels subordinate-group organization into state-defined categories — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 572