Intergroup and intragroup dimensions of COVID-19: A social identity perspective on social fragmentation and unity

COVID-19 is a challenge faced by individuals (personal vulnerability and behavior), requiring coordinated policy from national government. However, another critical layer—intergroup relations—frames many decisions about how resources support should be allocated. Based on theories of self social identity uncertainty, subjective group dynamics, leadership, cohesion, we argue that this intergroup layer has important implications for people’s perceptions their own others’ situation, political management the pandemic, people are influenced, they resolve uncertainty. In face initial or global unity prone to fractures competition through which leaders can exploit uncertainties gain short-term credibility, power, influence groups, feeding polarization extremism. Thus, psychological sustain superordinate objective surviving recovering pandemic mutual cross-group effort.