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When I's meet: sharing subjective experience with someone from the outgroup.
Elizabeth C Pinel1, Anson E Long
1The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA. epinel@uvm.edu
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|February 24, 2012
Summary
Believing you share experiences (I-sharing) increases liking for outgroup members, including different sexes and sexual orientations. This effect holds even when social identities are salient or revealed later.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Intergroup Relations
- Social Cognition
Background:
- Subjective experience sharing, termed I-sharing, is known to build connections and influence perceptions of ingroup and outgroup members.
- Existing research highlights I-sharing's role in fostering connection, but its impact on liking for salient outgroups requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether I-sharing promotes liking for members of salient outgroups.
- To examine the conditions under which I-sharing influences intergroup attitudes, particularly concerning gender, sexual orientation, and race.
Main Methods:
- Three studies were conducted using varying methodologies to assess the effects of I-sharing.
- Participants engaged in I-sharing exercises or control conditions, followed by measures of liking towards outgroup members.
- Study 3 compared I-sharing with value-sharing, considering the role of existential isolation and social identity.
Main Results:
- I-sharing significantly increased liking for members of the 'other sex' outgroup (Study 1).
- I-sharing promoted liking for a member of a sexual orientation outgroup, irrespective of the timing of group membership revelation (Study 2).
- For individuals high in existential isolation, I-sharing was more effective than value-sharing in promoting liking for outgroup members, regardless of social identity (Study 3).
Conclusions:
- I-sharing can enhance positive attitudes toward members of salient outgroups.
- The findings suggest I-sharing is a potent mechanism for improving intergroup relations, even when individuals maintain strong social identities.
- I-sharing offers a potential avenue for fostering intergroup harmony by focusing on shared subjective experiences.
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