PSYC12H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Normative Social Influence, Balance Theory, Henri Tajfel
Document Summary
By forming groups, humans have found that it is possible to construct their environment such that their. Groups are the basic building blocks of society. The tendency to form groups is a basic part of the nature of animals. Groups tend to form closer ties to member of their own group: tend to favour their own groups (ingroups) over other groups to which they do not belong (outgroups). Even when membership is based on the most arbitrary criteria (minimal group), people tend to should preferences for members of their own group. Ingroup preferences may underlie more severe negative behaviour toward other groups (hostility and violence). If ingroup preferences and hostility toward outgroups are adaptive (therefore innate), there is little we can do to avoid prejudice and stereotyping. There is no rational basis for disliking others simply because they belong to another group. Ingroup favouritism and negative attitudes toward members of other groups remain a pervasive aspect of human society today.
