Bridging racial divides: Social constructionist (vs. essentialist) beliefs facilitate trust in intergroup contexts

Bridging interracial trust—between individuals from different racial groups—can significantly impact conflict outcomes, enhancing cooperation and negotiation benefits.

Have you ever wondered what influences our ability to trust or doubt others? Trust is crucial for social harmony and prosperity, yet building it can be challenging. Bridging gaps between different racial or ethnic groups becomes difficult when individuals view these groups as fundamentally different from themselves. Such perceived boundaries often hinder the extension of trust, contributing to interracial conflicts. Understanding how these barriers affect our interactions can help us foster better relationships and promote cooperation across diverse groups. By addressing these obstacles, we can work towards a more inclusive and harmonious society.

A research conducted at the University of Waterloo, Canada, purports that individual differences (the difference in various psychological constructs of two individuals) in the lay theory of race can systematically influence the degree to which people extend trust to a racial outgroup in a situation of conflict. The lay theory of race distinguishes social constructionist beliefs (viewing race as changeable) from essentialist beliefs (viewing race as fixed).

Bridging Interracial Trust: How Social Constructionist Beliefs Enhance Cooperation and Negotiation Outcomes

In the three studies conducted by the social psychologists of the University of Waterloo, they have found evidence that social constructionist (vs. essentialist) beliefs have lead to promotion of interracial trust in intergroup contexts, and that this effect is held regardless of whether the lay theory of race was measured or manipulated, independent of the conflict being presented in a team conflict scenario, social dilemma, or a face-to-face dyadic negotiation.

Apart from this, results have shown that the lay theory’s effect on interracial trust (trust among two individual belonging from two different racial group) could have critical downstream consequences in conflict, specifically in cooperation and mutually beneficial negotiation outcomes. The findings reveal that the lay theory of race reliably influences interracial trust and enhances understanding and harmony in society.