DISTINCTIVENESS THREAT AND PROTOTYPICALITY - COMBINED EFFECTS ON INTERGROUP DISCRIMINATION AND COLLECTIVE SELF-ESTEEM

The combined influence on ingroup bias of threat to group distinctiven ess and prototypicality as a group member was examined in two studies. It was predicted, in line with social identity theory, that threat to group distinctiveness would lead to more ingroup bias. In addition, o n the basis of self-categorization theory it was predicted that protyp ical and peripheral group members would react differently to a threat to their group distinctiveness. Only group members who define themselv es as prototypical group members should be motivated to defend their t hreatened distinctiveness by engaging in increased ingroup bias. This hypothesis was first supported in a modified minimal group setting in which threat was operationalized as overlapping group boundaries, Thes e results were then replicated in a Second study, using better-establi shed groups, fdr whom distinctiveness threat was manipulated in terms of intergroup similarity. Moreover, some support was found in Study 2 for the prediction that the opportunity to engage in intergroup differ entiation can, under restricted conditions, enhance group-related self -esteem. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.