Prejudice stems from identity needs, not personality or resource competition

Evidence

Social identity theorists such as Tajfel and Turner (Reading 16) found fault with both theories of authoritarianism and realistic group conflict as suitable explanations for ethnocentrism and outgroup hostility. They suggested that prejudice is neither the result of personality defects, as proposed by authoritarianism researchers, nor purely a consequence of competition for scarce resources, as claimed by realistic conflict theorists. Rather, Tajfel and Turner argued that people derive a sense of self-worth and social belongingness from their memberships in groups, and so they are motivated to draw favorable comparisons between their own group and other groups. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 137

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to social capital readings — group membership as both identity and resource, echoing Coleman’s three forms of social capital. — connects to: Interracial interaction motives mirror identity needs triggered by historical transgressions. — Nurit Shnabel and Johannes Ullrich, Identity Needs in Intergroup Relations:…, 44; the MOC “The Enemy-Making Machine: Ours, True, and the Identity That Defends Both”