Showing papers by "Stephen C. Wright published in 2017"

Supportive contact and LGBT collective action: The moderating role of membership in specific groups.

Abstract: A growing body of literature suggests that positive cross-group contact between members of advantaged and disadvantaged groups can undermine disadvantaged group members’ collective action engagement. It has also been proposed that supportive contact (i.e., positive contact with advantaged group members who express explicit support for social change) may be a special form of contact that might increase, rather than reduce collective action engagement among disadvantaged group members. In the present research, we tested this proposition by asking Gay (N = 96) and Lesbian (N = 100) Australians to recall a previous positive interaction with a heterosexual friend who was either very supportive or somewhat supportive of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) rights (i.e., equal marriage, adoption, and surrogacy rights). Results revealed that the effect of supportive contact on collective action intentions depended on the participants’ specific disadvantaged group membership. For Gay men, those who recalled supportive contact reported greater collective action intentions. The opposite pattern emerged for Lesbian women. These findings suggest that supportive contact has the power to enhance or undermine collective action intentions among the disadvantaged. Which of these occurs appears to depend on the specific disadvantaged group to which one belongs. The psychological underpinnings of these effects, the theoretical implications, and future research directions are discussed.

A social psychological examination of the empowering role of language in Indigenous resistance

Abstract: An understanding of how groups engage in sustained collective action over long periods of time (sometimes over multiple generations) must take into account sociocultural factors. We consider the ro...

Contact and intergroup conflict: New ideas for the road ahead.

Abstract: This article explores a number of new directions that we hope will inspire thought and debate and perhaps broaden the focus of theorizing, research, and interventions based on the relationships between cross-group contact and intergroup conflict. Pettigrew’s (1996) levels-of-analysis framework articulates that intergroup relations include processes (and changes) at the level of the individual; at the level of interpersonal cross-group interactions and relationships; and/or at the level of institutions, policies, and practices that define the broader intergroup relationship. We use this framework to describe how research in contexts marked by open hostility and direct violence can make especially apparent how research and interventions based on cross-group contact should (and sometimes do) consider processes and outcomes at all 3 levels. Recognizing that there are multiple types of peace and violence, we stress the benefits of explicitly describing conflict as a continuum and recognizing that true peace may not involve the absence of conflict. We consider what this claim might mean for current work on contact and propose that research and theorizing on intergroup negotiations and conflict management might be usefully integrated with current ideas about cross-group contact.