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ERIC Number: EJ968393
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jun
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0190-2725
EISSN: N/A
Cohesion from Conflict: Does Intergroup Conflict Motivate Intragroup Norm Enforcement and Support for Centralized Leadership?
Benard, Stephen
Social Psychology Quarterly, v75 n2 p107-130 Jun 2012
Classic work suggests that intergroup conflict increases intragroup cohesion and cooperation. But how do group members respond when their peers refuse to cooperate? Simmel ([1908] 1955) argued that groups in conflict quell dissent by sanctioning group members and supporting centralized leadership systems. This claim has important implications, but little direct support. This research investigates how intergroup conflict shapes individuals' tendencies to sacrifice for their groups, enforce norms by sanctioning their peers, and relinquish decision-making autonomy to a leader. I test the predictions with two small group experiments, which find that conflict increases enforcement of norms when outgroup participation in conflict is high and increases contribution to the group regardless of outgroup participation in conflict. Evidence on support for leaders is mixed and suggests that the performance of the group may affect support for leaders. The research has broader theoretical implications for the study of group processes, collective action, and institutions. (Contains 3 figures, 3 tables, and 9 footnotes.)
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A