Book Reviews

Differentiationbetween Social Groups: Studies in the Social Psychology of

IntergroupRelations.Edited by H. Tajfel. New York: AcademicPress,
1978. Pp. xv+474. $50.00.

TobyL. Parcel
Universityof Iowa

HenriTajfel's collectionof papersportrayspart of the development of a

researchtraditionaimedat understanding intergroup relations.Whileear-
lier reportsfromthe traditionare publishedin Europeanand Canadian
journals,theyare moresparselyrepresented in Americanjournals.So al-
thoughtheworkin theparadigmcould informresearchin social psychol-
ogy,race relations,and theirinterface,
the ideas and findings have been
neglectedrelativeto the contribution they could make. Unfortunately,
Differentiationbetween Social Groups is unlikely to remedy this defect.
The contributions are wordyand are oftenoverburdened withmaterialof
moreinterestto devoteesof the paradigmthan to specialistsin relevant
subfieldsor generalreaders.
The heartof thevolumeis containedin thefirstchapters,in whichTaj-
fel outlineshis theoryconcerningin-groupbias and researchersreport
studiesdesignedto evaluateand extendthetheory.Tajfel arguesthatindi-
vidualidentityand self-concept are determined in largemeasureby group
membership. By comparing one's owngroupwithothergroupson relevant
dimensions, one formsthebasis forsocialidentity. Whentwogroupssimul-
taneouslyengagein such comparisons, the strainof each grouptryingto
derivepositiveevaluationsproducessocialintergroup competition.The evo-
lutionof in-groupbias is thusfedby social comparison processesthrough
whichindividualstransform the recognitionof groupdifferences intodif-
ferential treatment of actors.The editor'sanalysissuggeststhatwhenindi-
vidualsare differentiated intogroupsand whenopportunities forsocialmo-
bilityare tenuousor nonexistent, groupmembership, ratherthanindividual
characteristics, willbe used to definesocialidentity.
Tajfel also describesa basic experimental situationwhich,withvarious
modifications, is used by some of the volume'scontributors in empirical
research.It consistsof usinga trivialtask (such as expressing preference
forthepaintingsof one of twoartistsof similarstyle) to differentiate sub-
jects and thenaskingthemto allocaterewardsto givensubjectsaccording
to predesigned matricesof choices.Analysisof the choicesrevealsthe re-
spondents'preferences forseveralrewardallocationstrategieswhichare
interpreted in termsof in-groupbias. Tajfel describesfindings produced
underthe minimalconditionsnecessaryto evokein-groupbias whichsug-
gestthatevenwhena historyof previoushostility, conflict
of interest,and
face-to-face interaction is eliminatedfromthe experimental situation,in-
groupbias remains.Thus,meredifferentiation on thebasis of a trivialtask
may be a conditionsufficient to provokediscrimination. In subsequent
chapters,thisidea is refined as we learnthatsocialcategorization produces

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 AmericanJournalof Sociology

discrimination if such discriminationis the onlymechanismavailable for

expressingself-identity (J. Turner,chap. 5). Hence the link of identity
betweendifferentiation and discrimination is strengthened.
At thispoint,however,the volume'sflawsbeginto outweighits contri-
butions.Even thoughthe initialdiscussionsare oftentedious,the issues
raisedare important and deserveattention.However,attemptsto explore
the externalvalidityof thebasic conclusionsunderconditions whichvary
such factorsas statusof groupmembersand legitimacyand stabilityof
groupstatusare a mixedblessing.Social psychologists shouldappreciate
theuse of experimental proceduresto unconfound variablesoftenstrongly
associatedin "real world"intergroup situations.It is onlyby thismethod
thatwe learnhowminimalare theconditions whichpromptdiscrimination.
The same readersshouldalso appreciatethe repeateduse of thebasic ex-
perimentalsetting.However,the patienceof even the most empirically
orientedsocial psychologist willbe triedby theseemingly endlessnumber
of tablesportraying patternsofrewardallocationand analysesof variance.
Many socialpsychologists have recently adopteda tersestyleforreporting
experimental procedures and findings,a stylelessburdenedby "academese"
thanreportswrittenin previousyears; theseauthorshave not.The result
communicates less thanthefindings warrant.
Researchers notaccustomedto experimentation willprobablyavoidthese
chaptersin favorofotherswhichanalyzeanthropological data or fieldsitu-
ationsin termsof Tajfel's theory.For example,theyshouldappreciatethe
insightfuldiscussionsof linguisticdifferentiationbetweenethnicgroupsac-
cordingto theprinciplesof Tajfel's theory(H. Giles,chap. 15) and of pay
differentialsin a factory(R. Brown,chap. 16). Often,however,these
paperstoo providemoredetailthanis desirable.
On thepositiveside,all readersshouldendorsethevolume'sstronginte-
grationof classicsociologicalarguments withthe theoryand evidencespe-
cificto the Tajfel researchtradition.Work by Festingeron comparison
processes,Gurron relativedeprivation, van den Bergheand otherson race
relationsis wellcited.Indeed,theclassicstudiesof intergroup conflictcon-
ductedby Sherifand his colleaguesforman important pointof departure
forTajfel's theoryand are analyzedin somedetail.The problemsI have
notedare, of course,not unique to thisvolume; othershave fallenprey
to someof thesamedifficulties. Such a stateof affairs, however,mayonly
serveto heighten our frustrationwithparticularworks.

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