Shall I leave or shall we fight? Effects of threatened group-based self-esteem on identity management strategies

Abstract

We examined the interplay of social identity threat and group-based self-esteem on the motivation to use two identity management strategies, namely social competition and individual mobility. Following social identity theory, we postulated that threatened high group-based self-esteem leads to an increased motivation to use competitive identity management strategies. Furthermore, following realistic conflict theory and the rejection–identification model, we hypothesized that threat might reduce the desire for individual mobility among group members low in group-based self-esteem. Results of Study 1 (N = 67), Study 2 (N = 109), and Study 3 (N = 101) supported these hypotheses. The results showed that threat leads to the motivation to show social competition for group members high in group-based self-esteem and that for group members low in group-based self-esteem threat decreases the motivation to leave the group. The results are discussed in relation to recent theories of intergroup relations.