On the relationship between social distance and threat

We investigated the dependence of threat perception and reaction on social distance
estimation. Social identity threat was imposed within a 2x2 between subjects design,
with N=163 students reading a criticising comment about their ingroup assigned to
originate from one of two possible outgroups. The participants completed parts of the
scale Overlap of self, ingroup and outgroup (OSIO, Schubert and Otten, 2002) as a
measure of social distance either before or after the threat manipulation. Results show
signicantly diering social distance estimations as a reaction towards the threatening
comment depending on the criticising outgroup. The implications of these ndings
and the possibility of social distancing being another kind of defensive mechanism
towards social identity threat are discussed.