Tight cultures perceive more intergroup threat than loose cultures do.

Evidence

“Tight” cultures emphasize the importance of conformity to group norms and values, whereas “loose” cultures are relatively tolerant of deviations from social norms (Triandis, 1989). Thus, generally speaking, “tight” cultures are likely to experience higher levels of threat than “loose” cultures because nonconformity threatens their values. — Walter G. Stephan, Oscar Ybarra, Kimberly Rios Morrison, Intergroup Threat Theory, 10

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the tightness vs. looseness cultural dimension and its link to threat perception.