Multiple balanced group memberships reduce intergroup hostility potential

Evidence

One may assume that in the context of multiple categorization, individuals depend less on a single category to satisfy the psychological need of “belonging” than they do in the context of single categorization. As a consequence, they should be less likely to polarize their loyalties along any specific in-group category, which then holds lower potential for intergroup tensions (see Brewer, 1993). This, of course, relies on the multiple categories considered being of relatively equal salience, a precondition that may not always be given, especially in situations that give rise to threat perceptions surrounding identity and group membership. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 571

Categorization

• XREF: Gives a mechanism-level complement to the ingroup/outgroup functioning claims in the prejudice thread: belonging need satisfaction distributes across categories rather than concentrating in one. — connects to: Intergroup contact benefits high-power groups more than low-power groups — Johanna Ray Vollhardt and Michelle Sinayobye Twali, Emotion-Based Reconciliation Requires…, 48
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 571