Concept and causes
Stephan and Stephan (1985) set out where intergroup anxiety comes from. It grows when prior contact with the outgroup has been scarce or negative, when stereotypes and prejudice are strong and when there are status differences or conflict between groups. People worry that the other person may harm or disrespect them, that they may blunder and seem rude, or that their own group will think badly of them. Plant and Devine (2003) showed that negative expectancies that the other will see one as prejudiced raise anxiety, which in turn leads to avoidance. The concept later became a component of integrated threat theory.
Consequences and physiology
Intergroup anxiety leads to avoidance and makes conversations that do occur brief and stiff. Anxious people process others simplistically and rely more on stereotypes, and awkward interactions are remembered as confirmation that the group is uncomfortable to be around. Mendes and colleagues (2002) showed that White participants interacting with a Black partner displayed cardiovascular patterns indicating threat rather than challenge. Intergroup anxiety thus appears not only in the mind but in bodily stress responses.
Contact and anxiety reduction
Islam and Hewstone (1993) showed in Bangladesh that higher-quality contact is associated with lower intergroup anxiety, which in turn improves outgroup attitudes. Paolini and colleagues (2004) reported that among Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland both direct friendship and extended contact reduced prejudice through reduced anxiety. Pettigrew and Tropp's (2008) meta-analysis found that, among the pathways through which contact reduces prejudice, anxiety reduction is stronger than increased knowledge. Stephan (2014) summarized that interventions such as imagined contact, cooperative tasks and common goals can lower anxiety.
FAQ
- What is intergroup anxiety in simple terms?
- The tension and worry, such as "what if I make a mistake" or "what if they dislike me," felt when meeting people from another group.
- Why does it matter?
- It leads people to avoid encounters and makes encounters awkward, maintaining prejudice, so lowering anxiety is key to making contact effective.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Stephan, W. G., & Stephan, C. W. (1985). Intergroup anxiety. Journal of Social Issues, 41(3), 157–175. The founding statement of intergroup anxiety.
- Islam, M. R., & Hewstone, M. (1993). Dimensions of contact as predictors of intergroup anxiety, perceived out-group variability, and out-group attitude: An integrative model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19(6), 700–710. Contact quality reduces anxiety and improves attitudes.
- Mendes, W. B., Blascovich, J., Lickel, B., & Hunter, S. (2002). Challenge and threat during social interactions with White and Black men. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(7), 939–952. Cardiovascular threat responses in interracial interaction.
- Plant, E. A., & Devine, P. G. (2003). The antecedents and implications of interracial anxiety. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29(6), 790–801. Negative expectancies drive interracial anxiety and avoidance.
- Paolini, S., Hewstone, M., Cairns, E., & Voci, A. (2004). Effects of direct and indirect cross-group friendships on judgments of Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland: The mediating role of an anxiety-reduction mechanism. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(6), 770–786. Anxiety reduction mediates friendship effects in Northern Ireland.
- Pettigrew, T. F., & Tropp, L. R. (2008). How does intergroup contact reduce prejudice? Meta-analytic tests of three mediators. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38(6), 922–934. Meta-analysis: anxiety reduction is a key contact mediator.
- Stephan, W. G. (2014). Intergroup anxiety: Theory, research, and practice. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18(3), 239–255. A comprehensive review of intergroup anxiety research.