Symbolic threat and material conflict feed each other to sustain group boundaries

Evidence

For example, rather than pitting symbolic and tangible conflict explanations against each other, it is more fruitful to explore how perceived symbolic and resource conflicts work in concert to maintain group boundaries. One possibility is that symbolic threat may give rise to material threat, and vice versa. In the context of social change in which the dominance of one’s value system may be threatened, identity may be protected by targeting outgroups as competitors for more tangible resources. Gaining resources (e.g., social power) may allow groups to ensure that their values have representation and status. Moreover, competition for resources may generate exaggerated perceptions of value differences to justify conflict. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1514