MGT 500 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Schadenfreude

• School: Ball State University
• Department: Management
• Course: MGT 500
• Professor: Ronda Smith

Document Summary

People feel very strong about their groups because they have shared experiences about events they perceive together. People in groups experience more of a bond and trust with each other as well. The way we personally feel invested in group accomplishments deals with social identity theory. This theory states that people react emotionally to a group"s success or failure because they have a tied self-esteem to what"s happening in the group. When your group does well, your self-esteem rises because you bask in its glory. When your group doesn"t do well, you can feel bad about yourself or even reject that part of your identity. You could also feel threatened or endorse deviant behaviors when your group is disrespected or devalued to restore the standing of your group. You can even start to experience pleasure from another group"s suffering. These feelings are called schadenfreude because of the joy experienced when another group loses.