Toward social cohesion : the relationships of intergroup ideologies with attachment to superordinate category, ingroup projection, and integration effort

Abstract

Cultural diversity and intergroup relations are important issues for many nations, communities, and organizations. Social scientists have proposed various ideologies of ideal intergroup interactions and situations, including colorblindness, multiculturalism, and polyculturalism, and tested their effectiveness on reducing intergroup bias and enhancing intergroup harmony. The contributions of these ideologies to social cohesion received little attention. The present research investigated whether the three intergroup ideologies contribute to the social cohesion orientation to a superordinate group that consists of various cultural groups. Social cohesion orientation is conceptualized as encompassing three components, including attachment to superordinate group (affective component), in-group projection (cognitive component), and integration effort (behavioral component). In Study 1, a survey was conducted among a community sample of 101 Hong Kong Chinese adults, and found that the three ideologies all contributed to the behavioral tendency of integration effort; however, colorblindness was the only significant predictor of low in-group projection, and polyculturalism was the only significant predictor of attachment to Hong Kong. In Study 2, another survey was conducted among 207 Hong Kong Chinese university students. Alternative measures of the three components of social cohesion orientation were administered. The results of the affective and cognitive components were consistent with those of Study 1, and yet only multiculturalism significantly predicted actual behaviors of integration effort. In Study 3, an experiment was conducted among 62 local students of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The participants' perceived threat of resource allocation (high versus low) from Mainland Chinese students (a group of non-local students of PolyU) was manipulated. The effects of the three ideologies on social cohesion orientation to PolyU were moderated by perceived threat. Colorblindness and polyculturalism were more effective in high threat condition than in low threat condition, whereas multiculturalism showed a reversed pattern. Taken together, the findings indicate that adopting and integrating the three ideologies are the ways to maximize intergroup harmony and unity. In addition, colorblindness and polyculturalism should be more emphasized when high threat from an outgroup is perceived, whereas multiculturalism should be prioritized when intergroup threat is low.