Natural nested social categories can be operationalized through real-world group memberships

Evidence

Another study investigated whether optimal distinctiveness and need arousal could predict the conditions under which group members perceive subgroup and superordinate categories to be dueling identities versus a dual identity (Leonardelli & Joseph, 2009). To that end, Leonardelli and Joseph (2009) selected a natural nested categorization context, one with intergroup differences among superordinate categories. In this study, participants were students representing different business schools at a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) MBA conference. These MBA students were also members of their business schools’ LGBT student clubs. Thus, the business schools represented the superordinate social category, and the LGBT student clubs represented the subgroup. … In this context, it was expected that the superordinate group would be moderately inclusive, given the widespread representation of different business schools at the conference. The goal of the study was to determine under what conditions participants would simultaneously identify with the superordinate group (the business school) and the subgroup (their business schools’ LBGT clubs). — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 713