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First published online May 15, 2013

National Identity and Group Narcissism as Predictors of Intergroup Attitudes Toward Undocumented Latino Immigrants in the United States

Patricia A. Lyons, Lauren E. Coursey, and Jared B. KenworthyView all authors and affiliations
Volume 35, Issue 3
https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986313488090

Abstract

The debate surrounding immigration reform to address undocumented Latino immigrants in the United States has been emotionally charged and polarizing. This study’s goal was to better understand some of the psychological predictors of attitudes toward undocumented Latino immigrants in the United States, namely, collective identity as an American, group-level narcissism, and their interaction. A university sample (N = 223) completed an online survey measuring attitudes toward undocumented Latino immigrants. As anticipated, we found that, at mean and high (but not low) levels of group narcissism, national in-group identification was a significant predictor of attitudes toward undocumented Latino immigrants. The implications of these findings, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed in light of the current debate on undocumented immigration in the United States.

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Biographies

Patricia A. Lyons received her PhD in 2011 from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her research interests include intergroup relations, especially between immigrants and host country citizens, and applying theory and research to develop programs that will facilitate successful, long-term intergroup contact.
Lauren E. Coursey is a PhD candidate and a member of the Laboratory for the Study of Social Identity and Intergroup Relations at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her research interests include group identification, intergroup contact, and the role of religious variables on intergroup attitudes.
Jared B. Kenworthy is an associate professor and director of the Laboratory for the Study of Social Identity and Intergroup Relations at the University of Texas at Arlington. His research interests include intergroup bias, intergroup conflict and threat, intergroup contact, and consensus estimation and social projection.

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Published In

Volume 35, Issue 3
Pages: 323 - 335
Article first published online: May 15, 2013
Issue published: August 2013

Keywords

  1. social identity
  2. group narcissism
  3. intergroup attitudes
  4. undocumented Latino immigrants

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Authors

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Patricia A. Lyons
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
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Lauren E. Coursey
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
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Jared B. Kenworthy
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
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Notes

Lauren E. Coursey, Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA. Email: [email protected]

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