- Overlapping:
Under this, a social difference overlaps with another difference.
People start feeling that they belong to different communities.
They create possibilities of deep social divisions.
For example, difference between African Americans and Whites in the US is an overlapping difference because the African Americans tend to be poor and homeless.
- Cross-cutting:
Under this, a social difference cross-cuts another difference.
The group can share a common interest on one issue but are likely to be on different sides on different issues.
These are easier to accommodate.
For example, in Netherlands, class and religion tend to cross-cut each other as Catholics and Protestants are both likely to be poor or rich.