Page "Prejudice" Paragraph 10

Another contemporary theory is Integrated Threat Theory ( ITT ) developed by Walter G Stephan.

It draws from and builds upon several other psychological explanations of prejudice and ingroup / outgroup behaviour, such as Realistic Group Conflict Threat and symbolic racism.

It also uses the Social Identity Theory perspective as the basis for its validity, that is, it assumes that individuals operate in a group-based context where group memberships form a part of individual identity.

ITT posits that outgroup prejudice and discrimination is caused when individuals perceive an outgroup to be threatening in some way.

There are four types of threats according to ITT ; realistic threat, symbolic threat, intergroup anxiety and negative stereotypes.

Realistic threats are those which are tangible, such as competition for a natural resource or a threat to income.

Symbolic threats arise when there is a perceived difference in cultural values between groups or a perceived imbalance of power, for example, an outgroup ’ s religion being perceived as incompatible with the ingroup ’ s.

Intergroup anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness experienced in the presence of an outgroup or outgroup member, which constitutes a threat because interactions with other groups cause negative feelings ( e. g. a threat to comfortable interactions ).

Negative stereotypes are similarly threats in that individuals anticipate negative behaviour from outgroup members in line with the perceived stereotype, for example, that the outgroup is violent.

Often these stereotypes are associated with emotions such as fear and anger.

ITT differs from other threat theories by including intergroup anxiety and negative stereotypes as threat types.