Testing the limits of tolerance: how intergroup anxiety amplifies negative and offensive responses to out-group-initiated contact.
Three studies examine the amplifying effects of intergroup anxiety on individuals' negative and offensive responses to out-group-initiated contact. Because intergroup anxiety typically results in avoidance of the initiation of intergroup contact, these studies explored how intergroup anxiety affected individuals' interpretation of and responses to out-group-initiated contact. The authors hypothesized that intergroup anxiety amplifies individuals' threat appraisal of out-group-initiated contact as well as their feelings of anger and offensive action tendencies toward the out-group. Results showed consistent support for these hypotheses by demonstrating that intergroup anxiety amplified individuals' threat appraisal (Studies 2 and 3), anger (Studies 1-3), and offensive action tendencies toward the out-group (Study 2). Anger consistently predicted offensive action tendencies (Studies 2-3). Thus, intergroup anxiety decreased individuals' limits of tolerance by increasing their threat appraisal of out-group-initiated contact. The results are discussed in relation to theories of threat, emotion, and tolerance.
Van Zomeren
Martijn
M
University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. m.van.zomeren@psy.vu.nl
Fischer
Agneta H
AH
Spears
Russell
R
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011287:Prejudice; D012933:Social Identification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014584:User-Computer Interface