2009 West SuperordinateIdentityIntergroupRoommate
The article investigates whether initial perceptions of a common university identity (a superordinate ingroup) influence the development of friendships between college roommates of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Using a longitudinal field design, 134 first‑year students (67 same‑sex roommate pairs) were randomly assigned to rooms and completed 11 diary surveys over six weeks, reporting (a) perceived common ingroup identity on campus, (b) anxiety during roommate interactions, and (c) feelings of friendship. Analyses employed multilevel growth‑curve models within an Actor‑Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to test (1) actor effects (participants’ own commonality perceptions) and (2) partner effects (roommates’ commonality perceptions) on friendship trajectories, and (3) whether changes in anxiety mediated these effects. Results showed that for cross‑group dyads, higher initial commonality—both actors’ and partners’—buffered the typical decline in friendship over time; low commonality predicted a steep friendship drop. Anxiety reductions over time partially mediated the actor effect, and partner anxiety also contributed to friendship outcomes. No such effects appeared in same‑group dyads, indicating the specificity of commonality to intergroup contexts. Prior intergroup contact did not account for these findings. The study extends the Common Ingroup Identity Model by highlighting individual‑difference (moderator) and interpersonal (partner) pathways, and suggests that fostering inclusive superordinate identities may sustain intergroup friendships by reducing interaction anxiety.
Topics
Common Ingroup Identity as a Moderator of Intergroup Friendship Trajectories
How initial perceptions of a shared university identity influence the slope of friendship development between cross‑racial/ethnic roommates.