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Threat by association: do distant intergroup threats carry-over into local intolerance?
Thijs Bouman1, Martijn van Zomeren, Sabine Otten
1Department of Social Psychology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
The British Journal of Social Psychology
|August 6, 2013
Summary
Threats from distant groups can increase intolerance towards local groups. Abstract symbolic threats, like those to worldviews, strongly predict negative attitudes toward local outgroups.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Intergroup Relations
- Threat Perception
Background:
- Individuals face threats from both local and distant groups.
- It remains unclear if reactions to distant group threats impact local intergroup relations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the carry-over effect of intergroup threat.
- To determine if abstract symbolic threats have a greater carry-over potential than other threat types.
Main Methods:
- Conducted one correlational and two experimental studies.
- Examined the relationship between perceived distant symbolic threats and intolerance towards local outgroups.
Main Results:
- Confirmed that distant symbolic threats predict intolerance towards local outgroups.
- Symbolic threats, particularly those perceived as distant, show a significant carry-over effect.
Conclusions:
- Abstract, distant symbolic threats can generalize to negative attitudes toward proximate outgroups.
- Understanding threat perception is crucial for managing intergroup conflict and promoting social cohesion.
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