Transgressing a group value in a transcultural experience: Immigrants' affective response to perceived social identity threats

Abstract Individuals want to be seen by others in a positive light, and to portray their group as having high value standards. Thus, when they transgress important in-group values, they experience a threat to their self-image and disrupt the coherence and homogeneity of their in-group. In the current research, using the context of a transcultural experience, we examine Muslim immigrants' emotional reactions when they see themselves transgressing one of their cultural values. We found that they experience a higher negative emotional reaction when an out-group rather than an in-group member witnesses the transgressing behavior. This higher negative emotional reaction is mitigated when the out-group observer behaves in a way to endorse the cultural value related to the transgression. We also found that providing the transgressor with an opportunity to affirm his/her cultural values can further reduce the negative emotional reaction to the transgressing behavior.