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5 - Predicting comparison choices in intergroup settings: a new look

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

By
Hanna Zagefka  and
Rupert Brown
Edited by
Serge Guimond
Hanna Zagefka
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology School of Life Sciences University of Sussex England
Rupert Brown
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology University of Sussex England
Serge Guimond
Affiliation:
Université de Clermont-Ferrand II (Université Blaise Pascal), France
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Summary

The question of which comparisons members of social groups make is a fascinating one, not least because a preference or aversion for certain types of comparisons will have a number of important implications. For example, comparison choices may determine whether people perceive existing discrimination, whether they feel deprived, and whether they are satisfied with their own or their group's outcomes. Comparison choices might also affect perceptions of entitlement and they might raise or lower people's aspirations. Not surprisingly, then, comparisons play a central role in several social psychological theories of intergroup relations, such as Social Identity Theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1986) and Relative Deprivation Theory (Runciman, 1966).

In this chapter, we will briefly review some predictions about comparison choices that can be derived from one of the most important theories of intergroup relations, namely Social Identity Theory (SIT). Then, we will discuss some other theories and research which suggest that some additional mechanisms are at play which are neglected in the original SIT conception. Synthesizing the insights from these two sections, the research questions can be summarized in four themes: the effect on comparison choices of (a) comparison motives, (b) status/deprivation relative to a target, (c) structural variables (stability, permeability, and legitimacy), and (d) identification. To address these four themes, we will review some empirical evidence we have obtained from three surveys among members of different ethnic groups and seven studies that used different methodologies and focussed on different intergroup contexts.

Type
Chapter
Information
Social Comparison and Social Psychology
Understanding Cognition, Intergroup Relations, and Culture
 , pp. 99 - 126
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2005

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