Intergroup Relations in a Hospital Setting: A Further Test of Social Identity Theory

Abstract

A study is reported in which the intergroup relationship between nurses in various fields of nursing is investigated. From social identity theory, it was predicted that strength of identification with the nursing subgroup would be positively correlated with intergroup differentiation. It was also predicted that amount of contact between the different nurse groups would be associated with less differentiation. Data was obtained from interviews with 40 qualified nurses working in specialized or general areas in three hospitals. Clear ingroup bias was found in intergroup attitudes, despite a strong ethos of cooperation within the nursing profession. However, contrary to hypothesis, this bias was negatively rather than positively correlated with group identification, as revealed by multiple regression analyses. These also showed that contact was associated with reduced bias, only in the general nurse group. In the specialized group, there was little effect for contact. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

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