Exacerbation of extreme responses to an out-group.

Examined, in 2 experiments, the effects of an esteem-lowering experience (committing an unintentional transgression) and a salient-group identity (English-speaking Canadian), on the responses of 108 undergraduates in Ontario, Canada, to their Francophone-Canadian counterparts in Quebec. It was predicted that responding on the basis of a salient group identity after an esteem-lowering event would subsequently lead to more extreme reactions, in an aggressive or benevolent direction, than when either lowered self-esteem, salient group identity, or both were absent. In this case, the extreme patterns that occurred indicated a rejection of equal contact between the in-group and the outgroups, in favor of interactions that implied a positive status differential for the in-groups. Results are discussed in terms of currently available perspectives on intergroup relations, with special consideration to the implications of holding de facto group membership. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)