A Model of the Ingroup as a Social Resource
The ModelÌý
We proposed a theoretical model of the ingroup as a social resource (MISR), which attempts to explain the self-serving functions of group membership (Correll & Park, 2005). This model suggests that the ingroup's psychological utility to any individual member depends on the combined influence of three factors: value or the degree to which the individual perceives the group positively, the individual's level of identification with the group, and the group's entitativity or the degree to which it is perceived as internally coherent and distinct from other groups (see figure).
The dimensions of value and identification (and to some extent, entitativity) have each received research attention (e.g., Luhtanen & Crocker, 1992; Ellemers, Kortekaas, & Ouwerkerk, 1999; Jackson, 2002), but to the best of our knowledge, MISR is the first approach to treat these three factors as interactive determinants of the group's psychological utility. We feel that this framework helps to both integrate existing research and highlight new avenues for research. It is interesting that, according to this model, a group's entitativity can and does affect its psychological utility. However, and in line with our other work, the model also suggests that increased entitativity (including heightened differentiation between ingroup and outgroup) need not promote hatred for an outgroup. Rather, we suggest that intergroup comparison or competition, which threatens ingroup value, is the primary cause of outgroup hate. Our research supports this contention, showing that entitativity does not predict antipathy for an outgroup over and above perceptions of conflict.
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