Abstract

LIMA, Maria Luísa; MONTEIRO, Maria Benedita  and  VALA, Jorge. The role of group status and history of the conflict on intergroup discrimination strategies. Psicologia [online]. 1996, vol.11, n.2-3, pp.169-180. ISSN 0874-2049.

According to Tajfel's Social Identity Theory, members ofhigher status groups are claimed to present both stronger statements of ingroup identification and stronger ingroup fayouritims than members of lower status groups. In this study it was hipothesised that the history of the conflict would moderate those results. This variable reflects the perceived ratio of gains and losses in the past, as well as the present expectations of positive or negative change of the status relation between the two groups. A linear history of the conflict (without a significant change on group status position) is expected to induce weaker comparisons between groups and lower expectations of change, thus eliciting lower ingroup favouritism and ingroup identification assertions in both groups. A non-linear history of the conflict (with significant reversal of group status positions in the mid-run) is expected, on the contrary, to enhance comparability between groups and expectations of change, thus eliciting stronger assertions of group identification and higher ingroup favouritism. A field study and a laboratory one were conducted, where real or simulated conflicts between two groups were made salient and intergroup differenciation strategies were observed. Predictions about the importance of the conflict to moderate ingroup identification and intergroup discrimination were confirmed in both studies.

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