Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Volume 38, Issue 9, 2012, Pages 1165-1177

Social Identity Complexity and Immigrants' Attitude Toward the Host Nation: The Intersection of Ethnic and Religious Group Identification (Article)

Verkuyten M.* , Martinovic B.
  • a Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS, Utrecht, Netherlands
  • b Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS, Utrecht, Netherlands

Abstract

Social identity complexity refers to individual differences in the interrelationships among multiple ingroup identities. The present research conducted in the Netherlands examines social identity complexity in relation to Muslim immigrants' national identification and the attitude toward the host majority. Three studies are reported that focused on the interrelationship between ethnicity and religion and examined social identity complexity in different ways. Study 1 showed that lower social identity complexity is associated with lower national identification. Studies 2 and 3 examined the interaction between ethnic and religious group identification. For Muslim identifiers, higher ethnic identification was related to lower national identification and higher ingroup bias (Studies 2) and lower endorsement of national liberal practices (Study 3). In contrast, for those who did not strongly identify with Muslims, higher ethnic identification was associated with higher national identification, stronger endorsement of Dutch liberal practices, and more positive stereotypes about the Dutch outgroup (Study 3). © 2012 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Author Keywords

Ethnicity immigrants identity complexity Religion

Index Keywords

Netherlands social psychology psychological aspect Islam Stereotyping Social Identification human Ethnic Groups ethnic group Turkey (republic) ethnology religion Cross-Sectional Studies cross-sectional study Humans attitude Adolescent male Emigrants and Immigrants Acculturation Socioeconomic Factors female socioeconomics questionnaire cultural factor Article Questionnaires migration Prejudice Turkey social behavior

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84864612055&doi=10.1177%2f0146167212446164&partnerID=40&md5=c80b91336ad24830e15b4057dae3e746

DOI: 10.1177/0146167212446164
ISSN: 01461672
Cited by: 51
Original Language: English