Helping behaviour and subtle discrimination

Abstract

Whereas research on intergroup relations has traditionally focused on negative intergroup orientations, such as prejudice and discrimination against members of socially marginalised groups, in this chapter we review how a positive form of behaviour, helping, can contribute to establishing and maintaining the greater status of socially dominant groups compared to marginalised groups. These processes are illustrated primarily through research that examines the responses of White Americans, the socially dominant group in the USA, to Black relative to White Americans, but we also discuss how these effects project onto hierarchical group relations more generally. In this chapter we next discuss the roles of social categorization, social identity and social dominance in shaping intergroup orientations. Then we briefly review the differential social forces that affect the expression of these orientations, highlighting the significant but often overlooked contribution of systematic favouritism in the expression of social bias. After that, we focus on research on intergroup helping behaviour and its relationship to subtle discrimination. Specifically, we consider the roles of ingroup favouritism, contemporary racism and strategic use of helping behaviour as a tool for social control. We conclude by identifying theoretical and practical implications of recognizing the role of prosocial behavior in social bias.