intergroup betrayal
Definition
Intergroup betrayal refers to the perceived violation of expectations for solidarity or loyalty between members of different social groups, experienced when a group expected to offer support instead acts in ways that harm or fail to protect another group's wellbeing. When those norms are broken, as when Arab American or Latino voters supported a candidate perceived as threatening to other marginalized communities, members of the affected groups report distinct emotional and behavioral responses. Betrayal in this context correlates with reduced trust and diminished intentions for future solidarity, and in some cases with support for punitive policies targeting the betraying group.
Sources: Shackleford et al. (2026)
Related Terms
- intergroup relations (1 shared article)
- stigma-based solidarity (1 shared article)
- political alliances (1 shared article)
- collective resistance (1 shared article)
Applications
Intergroup Betrayal and Stigma-based Solidarity
Stigma-based solidarity, the expectation that marginalized groups will support one another because of shared experiences of discrimination, generates the very conditions under which intergroup betrayal becomes possible. When Black women Harris voters reported greater betrayal by Latino men than by White men after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, their responses reflected violated expectations specific to cross-group solidarity rather than relational proximity. Betrayal feelings then correlated with reduced willingness to engage in future solidarity behaviors, suggesting that perceived violations of stigma-based solidarity can erode the cross-group alliances that marginalized communities rely on to contest societal injustice.
Sources: Shackleford et al. (2026)
Intergroup Betrayal and Intergroup Trust
Intergroup betrayal is associated with measurable declines in trust toward the group perceived as having violated solidarity expectations. In Study 1, betrayal correlated with lower trust toward Arab Americans (r = -.34, p < .001), and in Study 2 the crossover pattern of betrayal between White and Black women indicated that the magnitude of trust reduction varied with the strength of the violated solidarity expectation rather than with surprise alone.
Sources: Shackleford et al. (2026)
Intergroup Betrayal and Cross-group Political Alliances
Perceived intergroup betrayal in electoral contexts has direct consequences for the viability of cross-group political coalitions. Study 2 found that although participants endorsed collective solidarity with Latino men at higher rates than with White men overall, they showed the least willingness to oppose mass deportations targeting Latino men relative to other harmful policies, indicating that betrayal selectively suppresses protective solidarity even when general coalition intentions remain stated.
Sources: Shackleford et al. (2026)
