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Reactions to intragroup deviance: does disidentification have a role?
The Journal of Social Psychology
|May 31, 2014
Summary
When protecting social identity from group deviance, people first distance themselves. If allowed to punish, they derogate the deviant and regain group identification.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Self-Protection Strategies
- Group Dynamics
Background:
- Intragroup deviance challenges social identity.
- Derogation and disidentification are self-protection mechanisms.
- The context influences the choice between derogation and disidentification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interplay between derogation and disidentification in response to intragroup deviance.
- To examine the role of contextual opportunity to derogate.
- To understand the impact on in-group identification.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments (n=80, n=79) manipulated opportunities to punish in-group/out-group deviants.
- In-group identification was measured before and after exposure to deviance and judgment.
- Participants' responses to in-group vs. out-group deviants were compared.
Main Results:
- Participants initially disidentified from the in-group when no punishment opportunity was given.
- Exposure to punishment opportunity led to derogation of the deviant.
- Judging the deviant allowed participants to recover their initial level of in-group identification.
- Responses to out-group deviants indicated an intergroup strategy.
Conclusions:
- The opportunity to derogate is crucial for maintaining in-group identification when facing deviance.
- Disidentification is a preliminary strategy, superseded by derogation when possible.
- Self-protection strategies differ between in-group and out-group contexts.
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