Symbolic value threats can convert into real resource competition between groups

Evidence

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. The emerging legality of same-sex marriage in Canada provides an example of these dynamics. Canadians who value the preservation of tradition and those who value social progress have responded differently to same-sex marriage, and may consequently view one another as rivals for political representation. Although the majority heterosexual population stands neither to gain nor lose materially as a function of same-sex marriage, the perceived threat to value dominance among critics of same-sex marriage may translate into real competition for a resource (e.g., votes for politicians with a relevant stance), thereby generating animosity among critics and supporters of change. Moreover, in the context of competition for the real resource of political representation, opponents may exaggerate value differences. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1514

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader intergroup conflict/realistic group conflict literature and to the reader’s interest in how ideological disputes materialize into material competition — resonates with the moral panic framing in other work.
• SEED: Angle: same-sex marriage as a case study where a symbolic value fight became a concrete resource competition for votes — usable in a piece on how identity politics and material politics interlock.