Intergroup Anxiety

Causes of Intergroup Anxiety

The degree to which people experience intergroup anxiety depends on their previous experiences with outgroup members, their expectations concerning the conditions under which their future interactions with outgroup members will occur, and their perceptions of outgroup members. People who have had previous negative experiences, few positive experiences, or no experiences with outgroup members experience more intergroup anxiety than those with extensive prior positive experiences with outgroup members. For example, if a person felt uncomfortable or threatened during previous interactions with members of an ethnic outgroup, that person will probably feel the same way in future interactions.

In addition to previous experiences, expectations about future interactions also affect intergroup anxiety. In general, people who expect their future intergroup interactions to be voluntary, cooperative, or pleasant are likely to have less intergroup anxiety than people who expect future interactions to be competitive, superficial, or unpleasant. For instance, a person who is about to be in a work situation with a member of another group will probably express less anxiety when anticipating a cooperative interaction than when anticipating a competitive situation.

People's perceptions of the other group and themselves also influence intergroup anxiety. People who believe that their own group is dissimilar to the outgroup or that their own group is superior to the outgroup report higher levels of intergroup anxiety. Also, people who strongly identify with their own group—those who define themselves by their membership in the ingroup—experience higher levels of intergroup anxiety.

Negative stereotypes of the outgroup also can lead people to be anxious when anticipating an interaction with an outgroup member. For example, if a Black person believes that Whites are typically hostile and untrustworthy, that person will probably experience intergroup anxiety when anticipating an interaction with someone new who is White.

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