Secure superiority breeds more discrimination against cooperative subordinates than against competitive ones

Evidence

The reactions of illegitimately superior groups are more complex (Turner & Brown, 1978). It seems that conflicts of values are reduced by greater discrimination when superiority is assured, but by less discrimination when it is unstable. This calls to mind some Prisoner Dilemma studies in which white discrimination against black opponents increased the more cooperative was the opponent, but decreased the more competitive he was (Baxter, 1973; Cederblom & Diers, 1970). Baxter suggested in the title of his article (“Prejudiced Liberals?”) that a conflict of values may underlie his data. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2757

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: The counterintuitive finding — prejudice against subordinates actually falls when they compete rather than cooperate — inverts the intuition that cooperation should earn goodwill. It suggests egalitarian values chafe when superiority is assured, and discrimination is partly moral self-maintenance, not simple animus. This resists any one-sentence summary.
• QUESTION: Why does competition reduce discrimination for illegitimately superior groups? Is it that competition legitimizes their hostility, resolving the value conflict Baxter names?— worth chasing into Turner & Brown 1978.