Summary IMP Week 7: Inequality Between Groups

Intergroup Relations From a
Multicultural Perspective
– Lecture 7: Inequality Between Groups –

Content
Social Dominance Theory  How is the balance of power between groups maintained? How is the balance of power between groups maintained?............2

Social Dominance Orientation................................................................................................2

Legitimacy of status differences.............................................................................................3

Maintaining Group Hierarchy.................................................................................................4

Improving intergroup relations...............................................................................................5

Critics on Social Dominance Theory......................................................................................6

System Justification Theory  How is the balance of power between groups maintained? Why is there no rebellion?...........................................................6

Motives to System Justify.......................................................................................................6

Justification of the low status..................................................................................................7

Examples: Supporting the dominant outgroup........................................................................7

Examples: Supporting the system...........................................................................................8

Contextual Dependency of System Justification.....................................................................9

Criticism..................................................................................................................................9

, Intergroup Relations Lecture 7: Inequality Between Groups


Social Dominance Theory  How is the balance of power between groups maintained?

The society is a hierarchy of groups. It appears to be a human need that one group is in power
(hegemony)
1) Individual
2) Group
3) Society
Evolution: competition between and within groups over power, resources, rights, …
Hierarchies are usually based on one of the three systems:
1) Age (older have more power)
2) Gender (patriarchy – men are in power usually)
3) Arbitrary set (e.g. nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, class, descent, caste, clan, …)
How is the balance of power between groups maintained?
 Dominant group actively enlarges power or status differences
 Subordinate passively supports the status quo (maintenance of this power or status
differences)
 This is an asymmetry in behaviour:
o Powerful act more in group’s interest (to maintain their power)
o Powerful protect their status more than the less powerful attempt to gain status
o Status differences are institutionalized (e.g. only people with money are able to
get involved into politics). Institutionalization of status differences helps to
maintain these differences
o Ideologies provide legitimization and enhance the hierarchy

Social Dominance Orientation
“… the extent to which one desires that one’s in-group dominate and be superior to out-
groups”
Individual Differences
- Men  Higher SDO
- High status  Higher SDO (depends on which group one feels connected to at the
moment)
- Contextual Effects, otherwise relatively stable
Predicts outgroup affect:



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