Feeling like a group after a natural disaster: Common ingroup identity and relations with outgroup victims among majority and minority young children

摘要

We conducted a field study to test whether the common ingroup identity model\ud(Gaertner & Dovidio, 2000, reducing intergroup bias: The common ingroup identity\udmodel. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press) could be a useful tool to improve intergroup\udrelations in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Participants were majority (Italian) and\udminority (immigrant) elementary school children (N = 517) living in the area struck by\udpowerful earthquakes in May 2012. Results revealed that, among majority children, the\udperceived external threat represented by the earthquake was associated with greater\udperceptions of belonging to a common ingroup including both ingroup and outgroup. In\udturn, heightened one-group perceptions were associated with greater willingness to meet\udand help outgroup victims, both directly and indirectly via more positive outgroup\udattitudes. Among immigrant children, perceived disaster threat was not associated with\udany of the dependent variables; one-group perceptions were positively associated with\udoutgroup attitudes, helping and contact intentions towards outgroup victims. Thus, onegroup\udperceptions after a natural disaster may promote more positive and supporting\udrelations between the majority and the minority group. We discuss the theoretical and\udpractical implications of the findings.