A constructivist point of view on intergroup relations Online intergroup contact, Dialogical Self and prejudice reduction

Scholars interested in studying the effects of online intergroup contact on reducing prejudice are increasing. However, there is still a lack of evidence on the implications of the Self. The present study aims to fill this gap, considering the Dialogical Self as theoretical framework. It explored which clusters of I-Positions emerged during online intergroup dialogue, and whether and to what extent these clusters related with contact quality and prejudice. Data was collected from eight undergraduate students (females: 4; Mage= 23.63, SDage= 4.00), from majority (i.e., Italians; n = 4) and minority (i.e., non-Italians; n = 4). A pre- and postdialogue procedure was administered. Results suggested the existence of four clusters with different levels of inclusiveness - i.e., personal, cultural, social and human. Furthermore, results suggested the existence of different trends based on individuals' membership to the majority or the minority group. Specifically, while personal and cultural I-Positions were negatively related with prejudice in majority group, social and human I-Positions were positively related with prejudice in minority one. Despite their explorative nature, these results should be useful to take a step forward in understanding the identity processes activated during intergroup dialogue.