(In)group stereotype suppression : implications for discrimination

Abstract

Xenophobia has been gaining recognition as pressing issue worldwide; apart from having negative repercussions on social harmony, discrimination against minority immigrant groups also has negative health impacts on those being persecuted. Past research have focused on suppression of outgroup stereotypes as a basis for discrimination. In contrast, the present study focused on ingroup stereotype suppression and explored both its direct and indirect effects. Using the Motivational Inference Model (Forster & Liberman, 2004) as a framework, when one experiences difficulty during suppression, one is likely to attribute experienced difficulty to one’s own motivation to use the suppressed stereotypes. Inferred motivation was then expected to lead to an increase in level of identification with an ingroup, which consequently increases outgroup discrimination, ingroup favouritism, self-stereotyping and social comparison as purported by the Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) and Social Categorization Theory (Turner, Hogg, M. A., Oakes, P. J., Reicher, S. D., & Wetherell 1987; Turner & Oakes, 1989). Results did not support identification as a mediator of suppression’s effects. However, engagement in ingroup stereotype suppression still increased ingroup favouritism and decreased explicit outgroup discrimination, suggesting ingroup stereotype suppression’s potential as a social cohesion strategy. Implications of ingroup stereotype suppression for policies and campaigns will also be discussed.