Social explanations and self-esteem in Northern Ireland

The relationship between group-serving attributional biases and self-esteem among Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland was examined. There was little evidence of any consistently positive association between these variables. Differential patterns of group-serving biases were clearly evident. The Catholics demonstrated more pronounced levels of bias, whereas the Protestants tended to be more selective about the dimensions on which they displayed discrimination. These differential patterns of bias were consistent with each group's relative status position.