Perceptions of Self and Group in the Context of a Threatened National Identity: A Field Study

James E. Cameron (1) , Julie M. Duck (2) , Deborah J. Terry (2) , Richard N. Lalonde (3)

1 Saint Mary's University [Halifax]
2 UQ [All campuses : Brisbane, Dutton Park Gatton, Herston, St Lucia and other locations] - The University of Queensland
3 University of York [York, UK]

Previous research indicates that people who are highly identified with their groups tend to remain committed to them under threat. This study examines the generalizability of this effect to (a) a real-life context involving the perception that others view the ingroup (Australians) as intolerant of minorities and (b) various dimensions of social identification. The sample comprised 213 respondents to a random mail survey. Perceived threat was inversely related to self-stereotyping (i.e. perceptions of self-ingroup similarity), but only for individuals with weak subjective ties to other group members. Threat perceptions were also predictive of enhanced judgments of within-group variability on threat-relevant dimensions, particularly for individuals with weaker ingroup ties. Various strategies for coping with a threatened social identity are linked to different facets of social identification.

Mots clés: self-stereotyping; social identification; threat

James E. Cameron, Julie M. Duck, Deborah J. Terry, Richard N. Lalonde. Perceptions of Self and Group in the Context of a Threatened National Identity: A Field Study. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 2005, 8 (1), pp.73-88. ⟨10.1177/1368430205048618⟩. ⟨hal-00571593⟩