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Determinants of Readiness for Out‐group Social Contact: Dominance Relations and Minority Group Motivations
Author(s) -
Sagiv Lilach,
Schwartz Shalom H.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1080/002075998400204
Subject(s) - psychology , dominance (genetics) , social identity theory , social psychology , minority group , contact theory , immigration , group (periodic table) , identity (music) , ingroups and outgroups , social dominance orientation , balance (ability) , collective identity , social group , gender studies , ethnic group , sociology , politics , democracy , political science , law , anthropology , chemistry , biochemistry , gene , authoritarianism , structural engineering , acoustics , engineering , physics , organic chemistry , neuroscience
Findings that members of minorities are more ready for social contact with members of dominant groups than vice versa have been attributed to a motivation of minorities to integrate into the larger society. We theorize that minorities hold opposing motivations—to integrate vs. to maintain unique group identity—the balance of which determines readiness for out‐group contact. Study 1 examined readiness for out‐group contact among three groups of Israeli teachers—Jews (dominant group), Muslim Arabs, and Christian Arabs (minorities). According to sociohistorical analyses, Muslim Arabs are more activated to maintain uniqueness and less motivated to integrate than are Christian Arabs. Study 2 examined recent Russian immigrants to Israel (minority) and veteran Israelis (dominant). Individual differences in motivation to integrate vs. maintain minority group identity were measured among immigrants. In both studies, the balance of motivations predicted minority group readiness for contact with the dominant group.