Reciprocal role bonds create cross-group contact even without shared similarity.

Evidence

How, then, can effective contact take place? First, the similarity principle is not the whole story. Durkheim (1960) pointed out that similarity (mechanical solidarity) is only one form of social bond. Society could not exist without bonds across reciprocal roles—parents and children, clerks and customers. So differences (organic solidarity) also are important for social bonds. These differences, widespread in modern society, guarantee that contact takes place between dissimilar people. Further, under some conditions, optimal contact leads to positive changes that generalize even when atypical members are involved (Hamburger 1994, Werth & Lord 1992). — Thomas F. Pettigrew, Intergroup Contact Theory, 68

Categorization

• XREF: Durkheim’s mechanical vs organic solidarity — connects to classical sociological theory on division of labor.