Threat is felt on behalf of one’s membership groups, not just oneself

Evidence

Ingroup control is fundamental in that threats to the ingroup operate as threats to self. People treat the ingroup as an extension of self, protecting it as they do the self. Vicarious dissonance, the finding that individuals change their attitudes when ingroup members engage in inconsistent behavior, is a clear example (Norton, Monin, Cooper, & Hogg, 2003). Just as with individual dissonance, vicarious dissonance appears to be mediated by vicarious discomfort (in this case resulting from the ingroup member’s dissonant behavior). Thus, protecting the integrity of the ingroup operates by way of emotional discomfort. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 338 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Highly identified members suppress guilt by shielding the group from threats. — Torsten Masson and Markus Barth, The identification-guilt paradox…, 64; Protest organizers bear felt responsibility for the safety of strangers they cannot protect. — Vincent Bevins, If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and…, 390; Groups elicit more fear and appear more threatening than individuals. — Blake M. Riek, Eric W. Mania, and Samuel L. Gaertner, Intergroup Threat and Outgroup…, 171 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Threats to a person’s ingroup are experienced as threats to the self itself #expands (0.95) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 338