When and how does the promotion of inclusive global identities affect attitudes towards refugees in Germany?

• Autor(a) principal: Bock, Frederike Luisa
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/14613
• topic: Psicologia social; Refugiado; Identidade de grupo; Relações intergrupais; Inclusão social; Common ingroup identity; Complex identity; Intergroup threat; dehumanization; refugees; Germany

The current study draws on one of the major theories of intergroup relations, the common ingroup identity model (Gaertner & Dovidio, 2000), and aimed to examine if and how promoting an inclusive common global identity or a more complex global identity among German citizens improves attitudes and helping behavioral intentions toward refugees. This topic has become more important with the increasing numbers of asylum seekers coming to Germany (Eurostat, 2015). This work, therefore, focuses on the context of Germany and seeks to understand which intervention is most suitable for this national context. Participants (N = 178) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (i.e., common global identity, complex global identity or a control condition) and read a fabricated newspaper article. After the manipulation participants’ attitudes and helping behavioral intentions towards refugees were measured. Results revealed that, as predicted, a complex global identity was more successful, relative to a common global identity to promote more positive attitudes and behaviors towards refugees. These effects were mediated by reduced intergroup threats and reduced dehumanization. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of considering the context in which groups are situated, as well as, implications for developing strategies to promote harmony between refugees and Germans. Implications for journalists, politicians, as well as, NGO’s campaigning for the rights of refugees are given.