Intergroup Contact and Social Change: An Integrated Contact-Collective Action Model

Abstract

Previous research has shown that positive intergroup contact among disadvantaged groupmembers may predict a so-called ‘sedative’ effect according to which positive contact isassociated with reduced support for social change. Conversely, positive contact is associatedwith increased support for social change toward equality among advantaged group members.This raises the important question of under which circumstances intergroup contact canencourage support for social change among both disadvantaged and advantaged groups. Inthis theoretical article, we tackle this question by introducing a new Integrated Contact-Collective Action Model (ICCAM). We first provide an up-to-date review of how intergroupcontact may promote or hinder social change for both disadvantaged and advantaged groups.We, then, use ICCAM to examine when the many forms of intergroup contact promote orhinder support for social change, proposing the existence of two different paths fordisadvantaged and advantaged group members. Finally, we discuss the implications of themodel for social intervention and make policy recommendations stemming from a review ofavailable evidence.

Witnessing racial discrimination shapes collective action for racial justice: Enhancing awareness of privilege among advantaged groups

“…In addition to awareness of privilege, future studies should also focus on people's perceptions of legitimacy and injustice as important factors in shaping motivations to engage in collective action (for a discussion see Hässler et al, 2020). The materials we used in this research—and particularly in Study 3—may be interpreted in different ways.…”

Does negative contact undermine attempts to improve intergroup relations? Deepening the understanding of negative contact and its consequences for intergroup contact research and interventions

“…Of course, we should not completely forget about the settings where these findings did not apply: The psychological consequences of police officers, who are bound to have a lot of negative experiences (Dhont et al., 2010) and for minorities of such a low status that it seems “normal” for them to have negative experiences (Visintin et al., 2017) should be a major concern of democratic societies. Indeed, in situations of social status differences, negative contact might also have beneficial effects of increasing majorities’ willingness to engage in collective action (e.g., Hässler et al., 2020; Reimer et al., 2017). Yet overall, we should not forget the rather low levels of negative intergroup contact, and fear of potential side effects should not hinder the important attempts to bring together individuals of different groups and to encourage cross‐group ties to build a cooperative foundation for today's diverse societies.…”

The generalization of intergroup contact effects: Emerging research, policy relevance, and future directions

“…Moreover, contact generalization effects are now studied across a variety of social contexts (e.g., Lissitsa & Kushnirovich, 2018; McKeown & Psaltis, 2017; Zingora et al., 2021) and research has moved beyond its focus on outgroup evaluation (e.g., attitudes, prejudice) to considering behavioral outcomes (e.g., approach‐avoidance behavior: Meleady & Forder, 2019; voting: Zingora & Graf, 2019). We strongly encourage researchers to further explore the effects of contact and its generalization on a range of behavioral outcomes that have high ecological validity, such as intergroup helping behavior, engaging in protests against segregation or inequality, and actual collective action on the behalf of outgroups (for a detailed discussion on intergroup contact and social change see Hässler et al., 2020).…”