Ambivalence as a contribution to the outgroup and negative action tendencies

One study tested a moderated serial-mediation model exploring the moderating role of mode of
ingroup identification (glorification vs. attachment) on the causal path linking perceived contribution of
outgroup ambivalence to the outgroup, perceived common ingroup identity, cognitive outgroup ambivalence,
and negative action tendencies towards outgroups. The current work argues that expressing outgroup
ambivalence based on cognitive information is a strategy to justify one‟s otherwise suppressed prejudice, which
may ultimately “cover” the discriminatory nature of outgroup-directed action tendencies, depending on
individuals‟ ingroup „glorification‟ but not „attachment‟ levels as well as their perceptions of own outgroup
ambivalence as a contribution to the outgroup and of common ingroup identity with outgroup members, their
outgroup ambivalence. As expected, findings indicate that after expressing prejudice in a normative context
inducing prejudice suppression, when participants self-reported action tendencies after the expression of
ambivalent beliefs concerning the outgroup, unlike participants who were attached to the ingroup, the more
participants glorified their ingroup, the less they perceived ambivalence towards outgroup members as a way to
help the outgroup, the greater their unwillingness to social inclusiveness of outgroup members, the greater their
ambivalence towards such outgroup members, and the greater was their intention to act negatively towards
them.