Ambivalent stereotypes link to peace, conflict, and inequality across 38 nations
Abstract
Stereotypes reflect a society's inequality and conflict, providing a diagnostic map of intergroup relations. This stereotype map's fundamental dimensions depict each group's warmth (friendly, sincere) and competence (capable, skilled). Some societies cluster groups as high on both (positive "us") vs. low on both (negative "them"). Other societies, including the United States, have us-them clusters but add ambivalent ones (high on one dimension, low on the other). This cross-national study shows peace-conflict predicts ambivalence. Extremely peaceful and conflictual nations both display unambivalent us-them patterns, whereas intermediate peace-conflict predicts high ambivalence. Replicating previous work, higher inequality predicts more ambivalent stereotype clusters. Inequality and intermediate peace-conflict each use ambivalent stereotypes, explaining complicated intergroup relations and maintaining social system stability.
- Publication:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- January 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1611874114
- Bibcode:
- 2017PNAS..114..669D