In the study, the researchers explored whether the Arab-Israeli people in Israel could be used to challenge and encourage better relations between Israeli Jews and Palestinians by emphasizing individuals’ affinity to both groups. To test their hypothesis, the researchers gave Jewish-Israeli participants a passage to read that primed them to think about an Arab-Israeli engaging in both Israeli and Palestinian cultural norms. What they found was that Israeli participants who were given the passage to read were significantly more likely to perceive Palestinians in a favorable light, to distribute resources more evenly between their own group and Palestinians when given the opportunity, and to support more inclusive policies towards Palestinians.
The study has specific implications for the potential of dual-identity groups to mitigate conflict between the two or more groups they represent. By embodying the characteristics of both groups, heterogeneous identities challenge racial and ethnic dichotomies and disrupt the ‘us vs them’ mentality which occurs in tandem. The study also underscores the potential benefit of a growing racial and ethnic population in the U.S. and leaves room for researchers to further explore the mechanisms at play in this complex interaction.
Levy, A., Saguy, T., van Zomeren, M., & Halperin, E. (2017). Ingroups, outgroups, and the gateway groups between: the potential of dual identities to improve intergroup relations. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 70, 260-271.