GORDON ALLPORT’S INTERGROUP

CONTACT THEORY
Tom Dobberteen
SPA 506
 ABOUT GORDON ALLPORT
• Born in 1897
• Spent a majority of his academic
career at Harvard University
• Earned his Bachelor’s and PhD from
Harvard
• Faculty member 1930 – 1967
• One of the first psychologist to focus
on personality
• Had a reputation for attacking
important topics (prejudice, religion,
etc)
 INTERGROUP CONTACT THEORY
• Under certain circumstances, contact between members of different groups
can reduce prejudice
• The more people are able to communicate, the better the appreciation
and understanding for different points of view
• Allport believed that properly managed interactions between groups could
diminish prejudice and stereotypes and ultimately lead to better relations
• Critics have pointed out that even unmanaged contact between groups
has been shown to reduce prejudice
• Contact can reduce prejudice in individuals, but not societies
 CONDITIONS NEEDED
• Allport believed that the following conditions would be required for
interactions to have the desired effect:
• Equal Status: each member of the group (along with their knowledge, skills,
beliefs, etc) is equally important.
• Common Goals: the group should be working toward a common goal
• Cooperation: all members of the group must feel safe to speak and lead, if
necessary
• Recognized: the group should have the recognition and support by proper
authorities
• Interaction becomes counterproductive if group members use the
opportunity to voice their prejudice or harm other group members
• If group members feel anxious or threatened, contact will be ineffective and
possibly even counterproductive
CONDITIONS NEEDED
 APPLICATIONS IN HIGHER ED
• Students come to college from all backgrounds
• Students are different, but they all hope to build a better future for themselves
• Lessons that students learn about other individuals and groups are arguably
more valuable than the lessons they learn in the classroom
• For some students, college will be the first time that they are truly exposed to
other groups, cultures, beliefs, etc.
• “Change the world, one student at a time.”
 SOURCES
• Everett, J. (2013). Intergroup Contact Theory: Past, Present, and Future. The
Inquisitive Mind. Retrieved from http://www.in-mind.org/article/intergroup-
contact-theory-past-present-and-future.
• Pettigrew, T. (1998). Intergroup Contact Theory. Annual Review of
Psychology. Retrieved from
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f86a/3dbf4639cda042f4bd6de79f236e8761
6a0a.pdf.