I continue to feel so good about us: in-group identification and the use of social identity--enhancing strategies to reduce intragroup dissonance.
The present research examined the relation between in-group identification and the use of social identity- enhancing strategies for dealing with the discomfort associated with inconsistency between personal beliefs and in-group behavior (intragroup dissonance). Consistent with the hypothesis that social identity-enhancing strategies would be more effective at reducing intragroup dissonance for those highly identified with the in-group, Experiment 1 demonstrated that level of group identification moderated the effectiveness of group affirmation for reducing psychological discomfort associated with intragroup dissonance, but not the effectiveness of self-affirmation. In Experiment 2, which manipulated level of group identification, participants in a high-identification condition, relative to those in a low-identification condition, were more likely to choose to reduce intragroup dissonance with a strategy that enhanced social identity (i.e., out-group derogation) over a strategy less effective at social identity enhancement (i.e., activism to change the behavior of the group). Implications for intergroup relations are discussed.
Glasford
Demis E
DE
John Jay College, Department of Psychology, 445 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019, USA. dglasford@jjay.cuny.edu
Dovidio
John F
JF
Pratto
Felicia
F
D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012933:Social Identification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult