Intra Group and Intergroup Processes

Often it is found that having common interests affects the people within, as well as the image of, a certain group. When people think back

In conclusion there has been evidence to show that groups have both a negative and also a positive effect on its members. It has been demonstrated that some people will cope with the negative effects in an unproductive way by changing their behaviour in way that was detrimental to the well being of themselves and its other members. However the positives can have a very powerful effect on a person in that it can promote a sense of identity, loyalty and

After working in this position for a while working in groups and introducing new group members is a key ingredient in building teams and relationships. In groups and teams, relationships are the feelings, roles, norms, statuses, and trust that both affect. They reflect the quality of communication between a person and others. The variables that have an important effect on relationships are made with others in small groups. These are the roles a person assumes, the norms or standards, the group develops, the status differences that affect the group's productivity, the power some members have, the trust that improves

Stereotyping characteristics are associated with our past experiences of the particular group’s characterization and thus, in essence, we would have to have a certain picture of that group’s social behaviors on our minds. Eventually, such characterization leads to the generalization of the entire group’s social and cognitive behaviors that we believe are inbound or depict the true

Viewing the interactions between races and ethnicities is also important to observe. An ethnic group is a social category of people who share a common culture, such as a common language, a common religion, or common norms, customs, practices, and history. Ethnic groups have a consciousness of their common cultural bond. It is important to look at the role of social interaction and how it reduces racial and ethnic hostility and how race and ethnicity are socially constructed. “In essence, symbolic interactionists ask the question, ‘What happens when two people of different race or ethnicity come in contact with one another and how can such interracial or interethnic contact reduce hostility and conflict?’ Observing different characteristics and how the people interact with one another is important, because even though many differ in their ethnic and racial background, a common goal exists that they all share: to bring about a safe community where everyone feels accepted and wanted.

For example, a female individual who believes in feminism will most likely identify higher with a group of feminists than a group of females that are ant-feminist. This strength in social identification leads to in-group favouritism whereby members see the members of their group in a positive manner and see members of other groups in a negative or denigrative manner (Swann Jr et al., 2009). Through the process of depersonalisation. self-categorisation and group membership, an individual develops a social identity that serves as a social cognitive schema for behaviours that are related to the group (Korte, 2007; Swann Jr et al., 2009).

According to Mark Engber of the University to Michigan on Improving Intergroup Relations in Higher Education: A Critical Examination of the Influence of Educational Interventions on Racial Bias, he agrees with Hewstone, Rubin, and Willis (2002) that intergroup bias can be interchangeably viewed through the construct of racial bias. Hewstone, Rubin and Willis (2002) explain that (the in-group) mentality forces those in a certain group to assess their membership favorably over those who are not group members (the out-group). The types of bias that currently exist, we get four: prejudice, stereotypes, affective reactions, and discrimination. (Dovidio et al., 2004; Mackie & Smith, 1998; Wilder & Simon, 2003). Prejudice can be defined as having negative thoughts, beliefs, feelings, emotions, and behaviors toward a person or particular qualities that belong to a social identifying construct. (Haddock, & Zanna 1993; Zanna & Rempel, 1998). Stereotypes can be defined as groups of beliefs or characteristics about members’ traits such as race, age, and sex; (Stephan, W. G., & Stephan, C. W. , 2001.) Affective reactions can be defined

The minimal group is a bond of commonality, positive or negative, where relationships, of even an arbitrary or inconsequential nature, within the group can influence attitudes and subsequent behaviors. Membership in such groups often produces the strongest forms of prejudice and discrimination. At a base level college rivalries serve as good examples of how groups can become biased toward the in-group (members) even when such behavior is overt and contrary to an individual’s normal standard for formulating judgments. The reasons for such memberships are primarily related to self-esteem. Our

A cornerstone for facilitators is to understand what happens to people in groups. To do this, we need to look both at what people set out to achieve, the task, as well as how they get along – the processes of group activity. People often behave quite differently in groups and teams from one-to-one settings. Some people become quiet, others turn into bullies or tormentors, some become jokers. For the facilitator who has to rely on others for getting the job done, this can be daunting. Why is it that a meeting feels electric one moment and awkward the next? Why do some people refuse to communicate while others do all the talking? It becomes easier to understand the process level if we take a practical example.

Working within a group or team is unavoidable for most people. We are involved in sports teams, assignment groups, work teams, social groups and a variety of other groups and teams. Each of these groups share one thing in common, that is each requires us to communicate in some way in order to reach a shared goal or target. Therefore, it is imperative to know and understand how to work and communicate effectively with others to maximise outcomes and productivity.

In-groups are often recreated to fit the needs of individual group members, and when the needs are strongly aggressive, the redefinition of the in-group may primarily be in terms of the hated out-groups (Allport 94). The hated out-group in terms of racial relations of whites is people of color.

People who are in a group or belong to and even assigned to the group, they would naturally think of the member within that group as the in-groups while others outside the group would be the out-groups. This can be explained by social categorization. People would normally categorize other people into different categories, including themselves. And bond between the in-groups would form. This however, would develop a discrimination between the in-group and out-group where people would favor the in-group more. Social categorization can be seen in the study done by Cialdini et .al (1976). The main purpose of the study is to find out whether people would favor their own “in-group” members more than the other people, the “out-groups”. Researcher uses two methods. First, researchers find fans from 7 different large United State prestigious football universities in a field experiment. Researchers then observed the student’s

We as humans tend to relate to those that are similar to us, and tend to alienate those that we deem as different than us. Whether it is by race, gender, culture, or religion, it is something that is almost always present in human interactions, and often times can be completely subconscious. In our textbook Interpersonal Communication by Kory Floyd, an ingroup is defined as “A group of people with whom one identifies.” An outgroup is conversely defined as “A group of people whom one does not identify.” Henri Tajfel first coined this terminology while he was working to devise his social identity theory. These ideas of classifying people into ingroups and outgroups can lead to many

There are several concepts which contribute to the formation of intergroup conflicts: stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. According to the text stereotype is, “a generalized belief about members of a group.” Prejudice is defined as “a

According to Cartwright & Zander (1968), a group may be defined as a “collection of individuals who have relations to one another that make them interdependent to some significant degree”. Other definitions state that a group is “two or more persons who are interacting with one another in such a manner that each person influences and is influenced by each other person (Shaw, 1981). Turner (1987) goes further to say that “a psychological group is one that is psychologically significant for the members, to which they relate themselves subjectively for social comparison and the acquisitions of norms and values…that they privately accept membership in and which influence their attitudes and behaviour”. Clark & Pataki reserve the term “group”