Chapter 9.docx

Chapter 9: Intergroup Relations How do Different Theories Explain Intergroup Relations? • Intergroup relations: The way in which people in groups perceive, think about, feel about, and act toward people in other groups • Factors that influence our behaviour in crowds: ◦ Our motivation and goals ◦ T...

Chapter 9: Intergroup Relations How do Different Theories Explain Intergroup Relations? • Intergroup relations: The way in which people in groups perceive, think about, feel about, and act toward people in other groups • Factors that influence our behaviour in crowds: ◦ Our motivation and goals ◦ The presence of opposition ◦ Environmental cues ◦ Perception of injustice Early Research and Theories of Crowd Behaviour • Le Bon’s 3 characteristics of crowd behaviour: ◦ Anonymity: Feel less responsible ◦ Suggestibility: Copy others’ behaviours ◦ Contagion: Irrationality and violence are contagious Deindividuation • Deindividuation: Tendency to not follow normal rules of behaviour as a result of being anonymous and having low levels of self- awareness and accountability ◦ More likely to occur in group settings • Anonymity: In groups, we are less distinguishable ◦ Enhanced if wearing uniforms or face paint • Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment Randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners Guards had uniforms, reflective sunglasses, billy clubs Prisoners had uniforms, referred to by a number Identified with roles: Guards were overly aggressive, prisoners submissive Study had to be terminated • Accountability: Because we are less likely to be identified in group settings, we feel less accountable for our actions • Decrease in self-awareness: In a group, we have less of a sense of ourselves as individuals ◦ Become less focused on matching our behaviours to our usual standards Social Identity Theory • We strive to enhance our self-esteem which is made up of a personal and a social identity • Affiliating with successful groups increases our own self-worth • Threats to self-esteem promote in-group favouritism and outgroup derogation • Status of the in-group: Groups threatened with inferiority take pleasure in the failure of another group ◦ Even if that failure will not directly benefit them Status within the group: If you have a marginal status within your group, you are more likely to derogate outgroup members Group size: The smaller the group, the more likely you are to be loyal to it How Does Intergroup Conflict Develop? • Intergoup conflict: Conflict between groups • Two theories that explain intergroup conflict: ◦ Realistic Conflict Theory ◦ Relative Deprivation Theory Realistic Conflict Theory • Conflict between different groups results from individuals’ self- interest motives in competition for resources (jobs, land, power, etc.) • Sherif’s classic study: ◦ Boys at summer camp, divided into 2 groups ◦ Competitive activities between the groups: Intense rivalry, intergroup conflict ◦ Creation of superordinate goals requiring cooperation between the groups • Mirror-image perception: Each group sees its own behaviour as caused by the actions of the other side Relative Deprivation Theory • Discontent is caused by the belief that you fare poorly compared to people in other groups • Absolute/realistic deprivation: Belief your resources are directly threatened by people in other groups • Conditions necessary for relative deprivation to occur: ◦ Awareness someone has “x” ◦ Want “x” ◦ Feel entitled to have “x” ◦ Feel “x” is attainable ◦ Do not feel personally responsible for not having “x” • 2 forms of relative deprivation • Egoistic relative deprivation ◦ Feel deprived as a result of comparing your status with that of similar others • Fraternalistic deprivation ◦ Feel deprived as a result of comparing status of your group with that of another group How Can Intergroup Conflict Be Resolved? • Strategies for conflict resolution: ◦ Increase contact between groups ◦ GRIT (graduated and reciprocated initiatives in tension- reduction ◦ Bargaining ◦ Integrative solutions Increased Intergroup Contact • Informal contact between people from different groups can lead to less prejudice ◦ E.g. Heterosexuals who have friendships with gay men have more positive attitudes toward gay men ◦ Just knowing someone from your group who has a friend from another group can reduce prejudice • For the contact to be beneficial, need: ◦ Equal status contact, pursuit of a superordinate goal, formation of common identity • Equal status contact: All group members contribute on a level- playing field • Superordinate goals: Goals that can be achieved only if members of both groups cooperate • Form a common group identity: A way to find common ground ◦ Common in-group identity model: When people believe they have a shared identity, prejudice is reduced • Creating a superordinate category is a recategorization of original categories to reduce subgroup divisions • Similarly, in fostering conflict some religious leaders emphasize the division between groups and stress categorization GRIT Strategy • GRIT involves unilateral and persistent efforts to establish trust and cooperation between groups ◦ One party announces its intention to reduce conflict; invites other group to reciprocate ◦ First party carries out its tension-reducing activities as planned, even if there is no immediate response ◦ First party’s credibility is increased; puts pressure on second group to respond accordingly ◦ Once second group acts, first group reciprocates Bargaining • An agreement is sought through direct negotiation between both groups ◦ Need to strike balance between being tough and being reasonable ◦ Problem: People can misrepresent their needs to manipulate and gain advantage • Mediation: A neutral third party tries to resolve conflict by facilitating communication and offering suggestions • Arbitration: A neutral third-party studies both sides and imposes a settlement ◦ People are generally less satisfied than with mediation Integrative Solutions • A negotiated resolution in which all parties obtain outcomes superior to what they would have obtained from equal division of the contested resources ◦ Both sides need to honestly discuss goals and needs ◦ Need open communication ◦ Need perspective-taking (to understand the other side) ◦ May need apology How Does Culture Relate to Intergroup Relations? • Collectivistic societies make a strong distinction between ingroups and outgroups, so it is natural to dislike and avoid outsiders ◦ See group members as homogenous • Individualistic societies tend to pay attention to individual characteristics rather than group membership, so differences between ingroups and outgroups is less sharply defined ◦ See group members are heterogeneous • Ethnocentrism: Tendency to believe one’s ethnic or cultural group is preferable and that all others should be evaluated in relation to one’s ethnicity ◦ Collectivistic societies are more likely to engage in ethnocentrism Group Conflict • Culture influences how we view the causes of conflict and the strategies we use to resolve conflict • Collectivistic societies tend to be able to see both sides of the conflict, leads to better resolutions • Negotiating: ◦ Individualistic societies see it as a business activity ◦ Collectivistic societies see it as a social activity • People in different cultures also vary in the extent to which they focus on verbal content versus verbal tone Acculturation • Acculturation: behavioural and psychological changes that happen when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first- hand contact ◦ Linear process model: As individuals learn the values and behaviours of a new culture, they lose their own cultural values and behaviours ◦ Cultural pluralism model: Members of an ethnic group can maintain their own culture while adapting to mainstream society ◦ Bi-dimensional model: Members of an ethnic group can maintain their own culture in varying degrees and adopt the new culture in varying degrees • Four acculturation strategies based on two dimensions: ◦ Dimension 1: How much one values maintaining one’s original cultural identity and characteristics ◦ Dimension 2: How much one values contact and participation with another group (the larger society) ◦ Integration: Maintain one’s own culture; participate in larger society ◦ Separation: Maintain one’s own culture; reject larger society ◦ Assimilation: Abandon one’s own culture; participate in larger society ◦ Marginalization: Neither maintain one’s own culture or participate in larger society • Integration sought by larger society: Mutual accommodation Assimilation sought by larger society: Larger society enforcing its values Separation demanded by larger society: Segregation (limited contact with minorities) Marginalization imposed by larger society: Exclusion (systematic exclusion of groups from their rights and opportunities) • Integration is the best strategy; marginalization the least effective • It is important to accept cultural diversity and have an “even playing-field” for all groups in the larger society