Socio-structural characteristics of intergroup relations and identity management strategies: Results from a field study in East Germany

In a field study in East Germany, predictions by Social Identity Theory con cerning relations among socio-structural characteristics of intergroup rela tions (stability.,,, legitimacy, permeability) and identity management stra tegies (e.g. social competition) were examined. In general, East Germans we re expected to consider their status position as inferior compared to West Germans. Moreover, depending on whether they regard such a status differenc e as legitimate or illegitimate, as stable or unstable, and whether they pe rceive group boundaries as permeable or impermeable, East German participan ts should differ with respect to identity management strategics such as cha nge of status relations, change of categorization, change of comparison dim ension, change of comparison object and change of group membership. File hu ndred and seventeen participants from different regions of East Germany com pleted a questionnaire on various aspects of life satisfaction. A path mode l including stability, legitimacy and permeability as predictors, ingroup i dentification as mediator and identity management strategies as criteria wa s tested. Results ale mainly in line with assumptions on main effects deriv ed from Social Identity Theory. However, some extensions and clarifications with respect to assimilation situations seem to be adequate. In addition, results show that ingroup identification can be regarded as a powerful medi ator between perceived intergroup relations and identity management strateg ies. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sorts, Ltd.