Variables Related to Satisfactory Social Identity and their Differential Effects on Essentialism of Ingroups and Outgroups

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.12804/apl33.02.2015.01

Article Sidebar

Pdf (Español (España)) HTML (Español (España)) Lector Inteligente (Español (España)) ePub (Español (España))

Published: Jan 13, 2015
Issue: Vol. 33 No. 02 (2015)
Section Artículos


Keywords: Psychological essentialism groups’ phenomenon social identity

Main Article Content

Authors

Jorge Vallejos Hernández
Escuela de Psicología Universidad de Magallanes
Eduardo Wingstrom Mansilla
Escuela de Psicología Universidad de Magallanes
Tamara Olivares Gárate
Escuela de Psicología Universidad de Magallanes
  Vincent Yzerbyt
  Claudia Andrea Estrada Goic
Laboratorio de Psicología Social Escuela de Psicología Facultad de Humanidades, Ciencias Sociales y de la Salud. Universidad de Magallanes

Abstract

Essentialism is the tendency to believe that social groups exist because their members share a common essence that determines them to be part of this group. The aim of this research was interested in determining the effect of three identity variables (ingroup’s valence, status, and stability of categorical membership) in essentialist perception about an ingroup and out-group. The design was experimental quasi experimental with post-test and control group. It evaluated the impact of independent variables in essentialist’s adhesion. Two hundred participants were selected and assigned in a random way to one of eight possible experimental conditions. Essentialism was measured by a scale in two versions; one for the ingroup and the other for an outgroup. The results show that in the case of in-group’s essentialism there was an interaction between valence and group status that implied that participants in the “positive and powerful” condition adhered more to essentialist beliefs than those in a “negative and powerful” condition. On the other hand, a second interaction between valence and stability showed that participants in a “negative and stable” condition, adhered more to essentialist beliefs than participants on a “negative and unstable” condition. These results are discussed in their relationship with results of previous studies and their potential contribution to the comprehension of the dynamic of essentialism. 

Author Biographies

Jorge Vallejos Hernández, Escuela de Psicología Universidad de Magallanes

Psicólogo de la Universidad de Magallanes. Asistente de investigación FONDECYT 1110011

Eduardo Wingstrom Mansilla, Escuela de Psicología Universidad de Magallanes

Psicólogo de la Universidad de Magallanes. Asistente de investigación FONDECYT 1110011

Tamara Olivares Gárate, Escuela de Psicología Universidad de Magallanes

Psicólogo de la Universidad de Magallanes. Asistente de investigación FONDECYT 1110011

Vincent Yzerbyt

Profesor titular de la Universidad Católica de Lovaina - Bélgica. Actualmente Vice-rector de investigación de dicha universidad.

Claudia Andrea Estrada Goic, Laboratorio de Psicología Social Escuela de Psicología Facultad de Humanidades, Ciencias Sociales y de la Salud. Universidad de Magallanes

Profesor titular de la Universidad de Magallanes. psicóloga de la Universidad de Chile. Magister y doctor en ciencias psicológicas dela Universidad Católica de Lovaina - Bélgica.
How to Cite
Vallejos Hernández, J., Wingstrom Mansilla, E., Olivares Gárate, T., Yzerbyt, V., & Estrada Goic, C. A. (2015). Variables Related to Satisfactory Social Identity and their Differential Effects on Essentialism of Ingroups and Outgroups. Avances En Psicología Latinoamericana, 33(02), 175–188. https://doi.org/10.12804/apl33.02.2015.01
References

Albert, S. (1977). Temporal comparision theory. Psychological Review, 84, 485-503.

Epstein, T., Gelman, S., Feldbaum, M., Sehldon, J., Petty, E. y Kardia, S. (2009). The perennial debate: nature, nurture, or choice? Black and white Americans’ explanations for individual differences. Review of General Psychology, 13, 24 – 33.

Estrada, C, Oyarzún, M. e Yzerbyt, V. (2007). Teorías Implícitas y Esencialismo Psicológico: Herramientas Conceptuales Para el Estudio de las Relaciones Entre y Dentro de los Grupos Psykhe, 16 (l), 111-121.

Estrada, C., Yzerbyt, V., & Seron, E. (2004). Efecto del esencialismo psicológico sobre las teorías ingenuas de las diferencias grupales. Psicothema, 16(2), 181-186.

Gaertner, S.L., Dovidio, J.F., Anastasio, P.A., Bachman, B.A., y Rust,M.C.(1993). The common ingroup identity model: Recategorization and the reduction of intergroup bias. European Review of Social Psychology, 4,1-26.

Haslam, N., Rothschild, L. & Ernst, D. (2002). Are essen tialist beliefs associated with prejudice. British Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 87-100.

Hoffman, C. y Hurst, N. (1990). Gender stereotypes: Perception or rationalization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 58. 197-208.

Hogg, M. A., & Abrams, D. (1988). Social identifications: A social psychology of intergroup relations and group processes. London: Routledge.

Hollander, J.A. y Howard, J.A. (2000). Social psychological theories on social inequalities. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63, 338-351.

Jackson, J. y Smith, E. (1999). Conceptualizing social identity: A New framework and evidence of the impact of different dimensions. Personality and social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 120-135.

Keller, J. (2005). In genes we trust: The biological component of psychological essentialism and its relationship to mechanisms of motivated social cognition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 686-702.

Leyens, J. P., Paladino, P. M., Rodriguez-Torres, R., Vaes, J., Demoulin, S. & Rodriguez-Perez, A. (2000). The emotional side of prejudice: The attribution of secondary emotions to ingroups and outgroups. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 186-197.

Leyens, J. P., Rodriguez-Perez, A., Rodriguez-Torres, R., Gaunt, R., Paladino, M. P. & Vaes, J. (2001). Psychological essentialism and the differential attribution of uniquely human emotions to ingroups and outgroups. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 395-411.

Mahalingam, R. (2003). Essentialism, Culture, and Power: Representations of Social Class. Journal of Social Issues,59, 4, 733-749.

Masters, J.C., y Keil, L.J. (1987). Generic comparision processes in human judgement and behavior. En J.C. Masters y W.P. Smith (Eds.): Social comparision, social justice and relative deprivation (pp. 217-42).

Medin, D. L. (1989). Concepts and conceptual structure. American Psychologist, 44, 1469-1481.

Morton, T.A., Hornsey, M.J., Postmes, T. (2009). Shifting ground: the variable use of essentialism in contexts of inclusion and exclusion. British Journal of Social Psychology, 48(1), 35-59.

Morton, T. A. & Postmes, T. (2009). When differences become essential: Minority essentialism in response to majority treatment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 656-668.

Morton, T.A., Postmes, T., Haslam, S.A., Hornsey, M.J. (2009). Theorizing gender in the face of social change: is there anything essential about essentialism?. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(3), 653-664.

Peherson, S., Brown, R. y Zagefka, H. (2009). When does national identification lead to the rejection of immigrants? Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence for the role of essentialist ingroup definitions. British Journal of Social Psychology. 48, p. 61-76.

Rothbart, M. & Taylor, M. (1992). Category labels and social reality: Do we view social categories as natural kinds. En K. Semin & A. Fiedler (Eds.). Language, interaction and social cognition (pp. 11-36). London: Sage.

Tajfel, H. (1972). Social categorization. English manuscript of ‘La catégorisation sociale.’ In S. Moscovici (Ed.), Introduction à la Psychologie Sociale (Vol. 1, pp. 272–302). Paris: Larousse.

Tajfel, H. (1978). Differentiation between social groups: Studies in the social psychology of intergroups relations. Londres: Academic Press.

Tajfel, H. (1981). Human Groups and Social Categories. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press.

Tajfel, H. (1984). Grupos humanos y categorías sociales. Barcelona: Herder.

Tajfel, H. y Turner, J.C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup relations. En S. Austin y S. Worchel (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations. Monterrey CA: Brooks-Cole.

Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behaviour. In S. Worchel & W. G. Austin (Eds.). Psychology of intergroup relations (2nd ed., pp. 7-24). Chicago: Nelson-Hall.

Verkuyten, M., y Thijs, J. (2006). Ethnic discrimination and global self-worth in early adolescents: The mediating role of ethnic self-esteem. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 30, 107-116.

Yzerbyt, V., Estrada, C., Corneille, O, Serón E, y Demoulin, S. (2003). Subjective essentialism in action: Self anchoring and social control as consequences of fundamental social divides. En V. Yzerbyt, C. M. Judd, y O. Corneille (Eds.), The psychology of group perception: Contributions to the study of homogeneity, entitativity, and essentialism. Psychology Philadelphia press.

Yzerbyt, V., Rocher, S. & Schadron, G. (1997). Stereotypesas explanations: A subjective essentialistic view of group perception. En R. Spears, P. Oakes, N. Ellemers & S. A. Haslam (Eds.) The social psychology of stereotyping and group life (pp. 20-50). Oxford: Blackwell published.

Yzerbyt, V., Rogier, A. & Fiske, S. (1998). Group entitativity and social attribution: On translating situational constraints into stereotypes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 1089-2015.

Yzerbyt, V. & Schadron, G. (1996). Connaître et juger autri: Une introduction à la cognition sociale. Grenoble: Presses Universitaires.

Query Statistics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Publcation metrics

1855 798




 

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Authors retain copyright and ensure the journal's right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative “Commons Attribution License” that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this journal.