The power of the Ingroup for promoting collective action: How distinctive treatment from fellow minority members motivates collective action

Abstract

Around the world, protests tied to the Black Lives Matter movement are highlighting myriad forms of unjust treatment that racial and ethnic minorities face, and prompting countries to reckon with these injustices. When considering racial/ethnic minorities’ motivation to engage in these collective actions (alongside allies), it is certainly spurred in part by witnessing and experiencing such unjust treatment. Yet because this intergroup mistreatment commands strong attention (rightly so), less attention has been given to another potential force behind minorities’ collective action motivations – the (positive) treatment coming from members of their own racial/ethnic group. Bridging theory on intragroup relations and collective action, in four studies we demonstrate that when racial/ethnic minorities are shown appreciation for the ideas and insights they bring to their group – for instance, when fellow members seek them out for their ideas during conversation; expressions of distinctive treatment – it positively affects their sense of value to the group as a whole, and, in turn, their willingness to engage in collective action. Moreover, we demonstrate how these processes feed into other established explanations for collective action, outlined in the social identity model of collective action (SIMCA; e.g., perceived injustice). We also show that even a single expression of distinctive treatment from a few unknown ingroup members can have positive effects, especially when those members have high standing within the group. Overall, this illustrates the power of the ingroup – how taking opportunities to seek out a fellow member’s ideas and perspectives can be a potent force for promoting collective action.