INTERGROUP CONTACT THEORY 121
the relationship between contact and out-group attitudes in Northern Ireland and,
therefore, missing optimal conditions can have negative effects upon them. Stephan
and Stephan (1985) describe intergroup anxiety as feelings of uneasiness due to
negative expectations of interacting with out-group members, including rejection,
discrimination and fear of causing or receiving offense. Intergroup trust is viewed as
an emotion which creates a positive bias in considering partial information
concerning out-group members (Yamagashi and Yamagashi 1994: 135). It has also
been described as a “confident positive expectation” that when individuals present
vulnerability in order to cooperate or work together, they will not be exploited
(Lewicki, McAllister and Bies 1998: 446).
Due to the negative expectations described above, intergroup anxiety can lead to
complete out-group avoidance, and may also result in hostility when entering contact,
lessening the likelihood of positive outcomes and further contact (Stephan and
Stephan 1985). Consequently, the individual does not learn about or how to interact
with out-group members; this can lead to avoidance, anxiety and increased prejudice.
Paolini et al (2004: 770) found that Catholics and Protestants who had crosscommunity friendships tended to have less anxiety about intergroup contact and, in
turn, possessed more positive out-gr oup attitudes. An absence of optimal conditions
in the Northern Irish contact situation has detrimental effects upon intergroup anxiety.
A lack of institutional support and a lack of intergroup cooperation modelled by a
government to its citizens indicate that anxiety and avoidance of the out-group is a
normal and justified behaviour in society. A lack of equality, or a perception thereof,
can cause awkwardness in particular conversational topics and avoidance of the outgroup. This may prevent further contact opportunities and their potential to reduce
intergroup anxiety.
Trust is a key component in the wealth of post-conflict governmental policy
published in Northern Ireland (Tam et al 2009), most likely due to its strong
connection with cooperation (interestingly encapsulating one of Allport’s optimal
conditions). It is crucial to calming conflict. However, the process of building trust
can be delicate, requiring a number of shared experiences, and only one