Counterfactual Thinking About In-Group Versus Out-Group Others

Abstract

The present research examined how the social category of a target (i.e., in-group versus out-group member) influences the nature of counterfactual thoughts people generate about the target. In Experiment 1, we found a marginally significant interaction effect such that participants generated more target-focused counterfactuals in response to a negative outcome that involved an in-group than an out-group target when the outcome was mildly negative, whereas this difference did not emerge when the outcome was severely negative. In Experiment 2, provision of an opportunity to affirm an important aspect of one's self-concept allowed participants to generate more target-focused counterfactuals for an ingroup than an out-group target, even when the outcome was severely negative. By contrast, participants in the non-affirmation condition did not show such a difference. Taken together, these results suggest that counterfactual thinking about others can be directed by self-related motives (i.e., self-preparative and self-protective motives) associated with the effects of social categorization and the severity of the negative outcome.