stigma-based solidarity
Definition
Stigma-based solidarity refers to coalitional attitudes and behaviors among members of different socially marginalized groups, grounded in shared experiences of group-based discrimination and expectations of mutual support. These shared experiences can activate a superordinate identity, such as a common minority identity, that leads former outgroup members to be treated as part of a broader ingroup. Members of stigmatized groups expect other marginalized groups to offer support and demonstrate favorable cross-group attitudes to a greater degree than they expect from non-marginalized groups. When those expectations are violated, the result is stigma-based solidarity betrayal, a phenomenon with measurable consequences including reduced trust and diminished future solidarity intentions toward the perceived betraying group.
Sources: Shackleford et al. (2026)
Related Terms
- intergroup relations (1 shared article)
- intergroup betrayal (1 shared article)
- political alliances (1 shared article)
- collective resistance (1 shared article)
Applications
Stigma-based Solidarity and Ethno-nationalism
Solidarity among marginalized groups is treated as a primary mechanism for resisting ethno-nationalist and autocratic political movements. The 2024 U.S. presidential election provided the empirical context in which violations of stigma-based solidarity, specifically pro-Trump voting by Latino men and Arab Americans, were examined for their consequences on cross-group political alliances. Betrayal following these violations correlated with reduced trust and weakened collective solidarity intentions, suggesting that perceived defections from stigma-based solidarity may erode the coalitions most needed to contest democratic backsliding.
Sources: Shackleford et al. (2026)
Stigma-based Solidarity and Betrayal
Violations of expectations for stigma-based solidarity produce feelings of betrayal, which follow the same logic as betrayal in interpersonal and institutional contexts: a violated expectation that a connected party would protect rather than harm one's wellbeing. Black women Harris voters showed a pattern of greater betrayal toward Latino men than toward White men, which was explained by the violation of cross-group solidarity expectations rather than relational ties. In Study 1, betrayal correlated with lower trust at r = -.34 and with lower individual solidarity intentions at r = -.35, and in Study 2 participants showed the least willingness to oppose mass deportations of the group whose voting behavior they found most surprising.
Sources: Shackleford et al. (2026)
Stigma-based Solidarity and Intergroup Trust
Perceived betrayal of stigma-based solidarity expectations directly undermines trust toward the outgroup perceived as having defected. Across both studies, higher betrayal scores were associated with lower trust in the betraying group, pointing to a pathway by which violated solidarity expectations may destabilize longer-term cross-group cooperation.
Sources: Shackleford et al. (2026)
