Selves in contact: how integrating perspectives on sociocultural selves and intergroup contact can inform theory and application on reducing inequality

Abstract

Research within cultural psychology and intergroup relations represent two, often separate and distinct, approaches to examining social groups—including outcomes and experiences that define and distinguish group membership and its consequences. Often, social group membership (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, and social class) is tied to persistent and pervasive divides—separations that mark the difference in who attends college, stays in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and even views personal and societal events (e.g., microaggressions, police‐involved shootings) as involving bias. Addressing such complex and often divisive issues, psychological science has contributed theoretical and applied insights to mitigate social differences and inequalities experienced by historically disadvantaged social groups. The present paper integrates research on cultural psychology and intergroup relations by (a) reviewing empirical findings on sociocultural selves and intergroup contact and (b) considering how merging approaches from these literatures, using a selves in contact framework, can inform and elaborate theoretical perspectives and applications aimed at reducing inequality.

Reaffirming King's Vision: The Power of Participation in Inclusive Diversity Efforts to Benefit Intergroup Outcomes

“…Moreover, the present research finds support while taking into account other types of intergroup contact, institutional characteristics (demographic diversity), and prior measures (previous intergroup attitudes and prior diversity exposure). Taken together, the findings of the current research contribute to perspectives that in today's increasingly diverse society optimal conditions for integration should involve not only person-level contact but also the promise of cultural contact (see Brannon, Taylor, Higginbotham, & Henderson, 2017). Given documented links between attitudes and policy support (see Yogeeswaran, Verkuyten, Osborne, & Sibley, 2018), the present findings also contribute to theorizing for interventions that can address attitude change and in turn impact policy support.…”

Psychological Science in the Wake of COVID-19: Social, Methodological, and Metascientific Considerations

“…The reality is that people are not separable from a pandemic's effects at the global, national, and community levels. Notably, the absence of such context-inclusive practices is tied to other field-level crises (e.g., replication issues, limitations of WEIRD samples; Greenfield, 2017;Henrich et al, 2010) and critiques (e.g., opportunities to more fully take social identities into account; Brannon et al, 2017;Hester & Gray, 2020). Attending to cultural influences of COVID-19 can broaden normative practices within psychological science and help strengthen its impact even beyond the pandemic's resolution.…”

Psychological Science in the Wake of COVID-19: Social, Methodological, and Meta-Scientific Considerations

“…Notably, the absence of such context-inclusive practices is tied to other field-level crises (e.g., replication issues, limitations of WEIRD samples; Greenfield, 2017;Henrich et al, 2010) and critiques (e.g., opportunities to more fully take social identities into account; Brannon et al, 2017;Hester & Gray, 2020). Attending to cultural influences of COVID-19 can broaden normative practices within psychological science and help strengthen its impact even beyond the pandemic's resolution.…”