Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Volume 41, Issue 10, 2015, Pages 1438-1453

“We Are in This Together”: Common Group Identity Predicts Majority Members’ Active Acculturation Efforts to Integrate Immigrants (Article)

Kunst J.R.* , Thomsen L. , Sam D.L. , Berry J.W.
  • a University of Oslo, Norway, University of Aarhus, Denmark, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
  • b University of Oslo, Norway, University of Aarhus, Denmark, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
  • c University of Bergen, Norway
  • d Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada, National Research University, Moscow, Russian Federation

Abstract

Although integration involves a process of mutual accommodation, the role of majority groups is often downplayed to passive tolerance, leaving immigrants with the sole responsibility for active integration. However, we show that common group identity can actively involve majority members in this process across five studies. Study 1 showed that common identity positively predicted support of integration efforts; Studies 2 and 3 extended these findings, showing that it also predicted real behavior such as monetary donations and volunteering. A decrease in modern racism mediated the relations across these studies, and Studies 4 and 5 further demonstrated that it indeed mediated these effects over and above acculturation expectations and color-blindness, which somewhat compromised integration efforts. Moreover, the last two studies also demonstrated that common, but not dual, groups motivated integration efforts. Common identity appears crucial for securing majorities’ altruistic efforts to integrate immigrants and, thus, for achieving functional multiculturalism. © 2015, © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Author Keywords

common group identity Integration modern racism Acculturation Dual identity

Index Keywords

Minority Groups male Emigrants and Immigrants Young Adult Acculturation Population Groups female Humans migrant cultural factor minority group Social Identification human adult social behavior psychology population group
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84941749750&doi=10.1177%2f0146167215599349&partnerID=40&md5=10b82a51c3657184a9480b7bb2c0fbbc
DOI: 10.1177/0146167215599349
ISSN: 01461672
Cited by: 24
Original Language: English