Realistic conflict theory
Also known as: Realistic group conflict theory
Competition over scarce resources breeds intergroup hostility.
What it means
A theory holding that intergroup hostility, prejudice, and discrimination arise from real or perceived competition between groups over scarce, valued resources. When groups vie for the same limited goods — jobs, territory, status, power — negative attitudes and conflict intensify; when they must cooperate toward shared goals, hostility diminishes. The classic field demonstration manufactured fierce rivalry between two boys' camp groups through competition, then reduced it by introducing superordinate goals requiring joint effort. The theory grounds prejudice in objective conditions rather than purely in cognition or personality, complementing social identity theory's emphasis on identity needs. It informs interventions that reduce conflict by replacing competition with interdependence.
Examples
In the Robbers Cave study, two groups of boys turned hostile during contests for prizes, then reconciled when forced to cooperate to fix a shared water supply.
Two departments told they are competing for one headcount stop sharing information and start briefing against each other; give them a single shared target and the sniping quiets down.
Hostility towards newcomers tends to sharpen where housing and work are visibly scarce, and to soften where both groups depend on the same employer staying open.
First described in Muzafer Sherif (1954; 1961); Campbell (1965).