New Kinds of Group Complexity in Intergroup Relations: An Analysis of Gender and Sexuality

Abstract

Recognizing social identity complexity as one form of group complexity, we introduce two new kinds. Intergroup complexity encompasses perceived overlap between the ingroup and outgroup(s), whereas outgroup complexity entails overlap among outgroups (greater overlap yields simpler perceptions). Both apply to domains with at least one ingroup and two outgroups. Testing ideas from the social identity, gender, and sexuality relations literatures, we collected peoples’ perceptions of intergroup and outgroup complexity among gender and sexuality categories separately, using an online survey with a convenience sample of American adults ( N = 287). Results revealed that people perceived greater intergroup than outgroup complexity, less sexual than gender complexity (especially so among sexual outgroups), and were more likely to report greater intergroup complexity as their ingroup’s status increased. Moreover, social dominance orientation moderated status effects. Implications focus on the applicability of these new forms of group complexity and their consequences.