Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree Completion
Spring 2024
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
Committee Chair
Tonya Buchanan
Second Committee Member
Kara Gabriel
Third Committee Member
Mary Radeke
Abstract
Multi-cultural and multi-ethnic societies experience unique challenges regarding interactions between different social groups. Negative emotions such as intergroup anxiety are one of the most common challenges that marginalized group members report about their experience of intergroup interactions. As such, social psychologists continue to explore methods to reduce negative intergroup emotions. Given that research on self-concept representation has repeatedly demonstrated that higher self-complexity serves as a buffer during stressful situations, in the current study, I combined intergroup and self-concept research to examine the role of self-complexity as a tool for reducing intergroup anxiety and fear of discrimination among members of marginalized groups. In this study, a 2 (identity prime: marginalized identity prime vs. no identity prime) x 2 (self-complexity manipulation: high vs. low) between-subject design was used. Intergroup anxiety and fear of discrimination were the dependent variables. I recruited 155 participants from undergraduate students in the Department of Psychology. I asked them to write about a self-relevant marginalized identity or their surroundings (in the control condition) and then complete Setterlund’s (1994) self-complexity manipulation. Afterward, they rated their levels of intergroup anxiety (IAS-SF; Paolini et al., 2004) and fear of discrimination (InDI-A; Scheim & Bauer, 2019). I predicted that high self-complexity would reduce intergroup anxiety and fear of discrimination, especially when the participants’ marginalized identity was primed. However, the results did not support this hypothesis, as there were no main effects or interactions involving the self-complexity manipulation and priming conditions on outcomes of interest. Despite the null results of this study, self-complexity has been shown to help individuals cope with stress, stereotype threat, and tension between different social groups. Further research should investigate how self-complexity affects intergroup emotions, considering the insights and limitations of existing studies.
Recommended Citation
Sheibani, H. (2024). Exploring the role of self-complexity in reducing intergroup anxiety and fear of discrimination among marginalized group members (Master's thesis), Central Washington University, Ellensburg.