Allies or Adversaries? How Sociopolitical Threat Shapes Intergroup Solidarity

Why do some threats foster coalition-building while others deepen division? Psychologist Crystal Shackleford will examine how ingroup versus systemic sociopolitical threats shape coalitional attitudes, policy support, and cooperation. She will examine psychological conditions—perceived similarity or status differences—theorized to drive solidarity outcomes. Across a series of experiments, Shackleford will expose samples of Black, Latino, and Jewish adults to realistic threat cues and assess solidarity with other minoritized groups, to identify the conditions under which marginalized groups view each other as allies versus competitors. The project has three aims: 1) to investigate the consequences of ingroup threat for solidarity with outgroups experiencing similar stigmatization; 2) to extend and clarify the established boundary conditions of the stigma-based solidarity model by examining solidarity across different dimensions of identity (race vs. religion); and 3) to identify the optimal political framing for mobilizing intergroup solidarity.