THE INFLUENCE OF PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE SELF-ESTEEM ON STRATEGIES OFSOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION

The present study distinguished between personal self-esteem (PSE) and collective self-esteem (CSE) as determinants of in-group bias in an i ntergroup context. Subjects performed a group task, the product of whi ch they subsequently evaluated ('own' group). along with solutions all egedly produced by another 'in-group' (similar nationality), and an 'o ut-group' (different nationality). This provided the opportunity for i ntragroup discrimination (own vs. in-group), and both direct (own vs. out-group) and indirect (ingroup vs. out-group) strategies of intergro up discrimination. It was predicted that subjects high in CSE would di fferentiate more than subjects low in CSE, both directly and indirectl y, but that intergroup discrimination would also result from high PSE. The relationship between the in-group and out-group was also manipula ted by varying the salient out-group. It was predicted that subjects m otivated to enhance social identity (high CSE) would differentiate mor e, directly and indirectly, when the out-group was seen as having a mo re competitive relationship with the in-group. Although this manipulat ion was unsuccessful, a follow-up suggested that the out-group predefi ned as less competitive was actually a more relevant comparison group in the context of the task, which is consistent with effects of this m anipulation. Overall PSE and CSE were both found to influence differen tiation at the intragroup and intergroup level, both independently and interactively. However, whereas high PSE led to greater positive diff erentiation, low CSE had this effect, and a combination of high PSE an d low CSE produced the most consistent pattern of positive in-group di fferentiation across both out-group conditions. Possible mechanisms wh ich account for this pattern are discussed and the relationship betwee n dimensions of self-esteem and group differentiation is reappraised i n the light of these findings.