Nr. Branscombe et al., IN-GROUP OR OUT-GROUP EXTREMITY - IMPORTANCE OF THE THREATENED SOCIALIDENTITY, Personality & social psychology bulletin, 19(4), 1993, pp. 381-388
Some reseachers have found that out-group members are responded to mor
e extremely than in-group members; others have found the reverse. The
present authors hypothesized that when importance of group membership
was low, out-group extremity would be observed. That is, when the targ
et's actions have few or no implications for the perceiver's identity,
out-group extremity will occur. In-group extremity was expected when
perceivers are high in identification with the in-group. The presence
of a threat to one's identity was predicted to intensify the in-group
extremity effected for highly identified persons only. Evaluations of
a loyal or disloyal in-group or out-group member were made by highly i
dentified or weakly identified in-group participants under threatening
or nonthreatening conditions. The results confirmed the predicted pat
tern of effects. Implications for sports spectators and other self-sel
ected group members are discussed.