Projection explains individual prejudice but not organized scapegoating

Evidence

It is interesting that the two dominant intergroup theories of prejudice, Realistic Conflict Theory and Social Identity Theory, suggest similar processes operating at the level of intergroup dynamics; the former sees prejudiced attitudes towards outgroups as being elicited by intergroup threat, whereas the latter sees intergroup attitudes as determined primarily by intergroup competitiveness over relative status and superiority. Both intergroup and individual-difference approaches may thus operate through the same motivational mechanisms, with one approach delineating the intergroup processes that activate these motives, and the other individual differences in proneness to their activation. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2492 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Projection lets prejudiced people condemn in outgroups the traits they secretly possess — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 2345; Projection makes outgroup accusations reveal the perceiver’s own rejected traits — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2345; Individual-level projection theories cannot explain consensual stereotypes shared across a society (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Individual and intergroup theories of prejudice may share underlying motivational mechanisms. #complicates (0.75) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2492