in-group, out-group

• In-Group


  The group in which an individual identifies themselves with. Refers to the group as us, we.
• Out-Group


  The groups that an individual recognises as one they don't belong to. Refers to the group as them.
• Social identity


  A person's sense of self based on how they fit into society and groups within that society

  • Belonging to a group can make us feel better about ourselves and we may even exaggerate the qualities of our group even if they do not possess those qualities to that level
• Tajfel (1970) - Intergroup Discrimination experiment


  Aimed to investigate the behaviour of an individual towards in-group members and out-group members
• Strengths of Tajfel's experiment

  • Use of experimental methodology, which increased the reliability of the findings
• Limitations of Tajfel's experiment

  • Lacks population validity, since only boys ages between 14-15 were used
  • Possible lack of historical validity, since research was conducted in 1970
  • Lacks ecological validity, as it was conducted under very artificial conditions in a laboratory
• Social identity theory


  Suggests that groups are part of our identity and self-esteem, and when we belong to a group, we tend to develop an Us vs Them mentality, and will often try to increase the value/status of our group
• Social categorisation


  People instinctively categorise objects in order to understand and identify them
• Social identification


  This social identity theory sees an individual adopt the behaviour, attitudes and imagery of the group that they belong to
• Social comparison


  Once an individual identifies with a group, they begin to compare the group with other groups, this can create conflict when two groups identify themselves as rivals
• Tajfel (1970) concluded that:

  • groups were more concerned about creating as much difference as possible between the amounts allocated to themselves and the other group than consolidating a greater amount for everyone
  • Showed an obvious form of discrimination caused by the segregation or categorisation of the boys, and suggests that out-group discrimination was extraordinarily easy to trigger