Who do we think we are? The effects of social context and social identification on in-group stereotyping
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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Wendy van Rijswijk1, S Alexander Haslam, Naomi Ellemers
1Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. wendy.vanRijswijk@wur.nl
Abstract:
In this study, in-group stereotyping was examined as a function of variations in social context and perceiver factors. The social context consisted of different comparison groups and different domains of comparison. Comparison group and comparative domain were expected to interact in determining the content of the in-group stereotype. This prediction was confirmed with in-group stereotyping being strongest in conditions where the combination of comparison group and comparative domain made the in-group seem most similar to an out-group. The perceiver's level of in-group identification was also positively related to the level of in-group stereotyping. Moreover, the level of identification was shown to be dependent on the immediate social context and mediated the relationship between social context and in-group stereotyping. This pattern is explained in terms of a search for in-group distinctiveness.
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Social Identity
In- and Out-Groups
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
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