Group Dynamics: Inclusion Identity

Inclusion & Identity Group Dynamics Psyc 38 C. Sagarbarria

How do people go from a “me” to a “we”?   Inclusion When the individual becomes an “insider” - a member of the group Collectivism When members think and act for the good of the group, and not for themselves and what they can get out of the group Identity When an individual’s individual’s sense of identity changes and includes qualities of the group as well

FROM ISOLATION TO INCLUSION  The Need to Belong The dispositional tendency to seek out and join with other humans Humans have “a pervasive drive to form at least a minimum quantity of lasting, positive, and impactful interpersonal relationships”

The Pain of Exclusion

Belonging to a group satisfies our need to belong BUT when we are isolated from people or excluded from a group - it can be upsetting

The Inclusion/Exclusion Continuum Rejection

Acceptance

Maximum

 Active

Passive

Exclusion

Exclusion

Exclusion

Group rejects Group avoids or ostracizes person person

Group ignores person

 Ambivalence

Group neither accepts nor rejects individual

Passive

 Active

Maximum

Inclusion

Inclusion

Inclusion

Group allows member to  join

Group  welcomes member

Group actively recruits member

Ostracism Excluding one or more individuals from a group by reducing or eliminating contact with the person, usually by ignoring, shunning, or explicitly banishing them. !"#$# &'()*$+ ",-+../01-012#34-#$05#6.789:;<=>?"@A.B@CDE=55=&F.GGGGGGGGHI<.JK">&$1L!E9.4JMAAN".#4$'O5*460P-3

 Emotional effects of being ostracised include: Frustration, anxiousness, nervousness, loneliness Physiological effects include: Elevated blood pressure and heart rate, and erratic breathing

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CyberOstracism

Banishment or exclusion in a virtual environment such as the Internet.

http://www.unc.edu/courses/2010spring/law/357c/001/Cyberbully/uploads/4/1/1/3/4113394/8244.jpg

5 Characteristic Stress Responses

 Freeze Fight or Flight Tend or Befriend

Freeze  A general shutdown in behavioral and emotional reactivity

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Fight or Flight

The instinctive physiological response to a threatening situation, which readies one either to resist forcibly or to run away. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GRGtkxPJnlU/TU7Dvd_VUBI/AAAAAAAABMg/YoJ5X2EIq70/s1600/FightOrFlight.jpg

Tend and Befriend

(Tend) support and care for others, help the group in any way they can and become cooperative (Befriend) make new friends or strengthen friendships

SocioMeter Theory A theory of self-esteem from an evolutionary psychological perspective that proposes self-esteem is a gauge (or sociometer) for interpersonal relationships Self-esteem is not the evaluation of your worth—it is an indicator of how well you are accepted into social groups The Herd Instinct Humans are instinctively drawn to gather with other humans

FROM INDIVIDUALISM TO COLLECTIVISM  Individualism A tradition, ideology, or personal outlook that emphasizes the primacy of the individual and his or her rights, independence, and relationships with other individuals Collectivism A tradition, ideology, or personal orientation that emphasizes the primacy of the group or community rather than each individual

 Individualism and Collectivism have different emphasis when it comes to: social relations, social obligations, and the social self

Social Relations

Exchange and Communal Relations Reciprocity - Equity Norm, Equality Norm Social Obligations - social contract

Social Self  Personal vs. Social Identity Optimal Distinctiveness Theory Need for affiliation Need for intimacy Need for power

FROM PERSONAL IDENTITY TO SOCIAL IDENTITY Social Identity Theory Simply states that a person will always favor the group he or she belongs to as opposed to other groups based on 2 cognitive processes: Social categorization Social identification

Categorization (Stereotypes) - a socially shared set of cognitive generalizations about characteristics of the typical member of a particular group or social category Self-stereotyping Social Identification - Involves the bonding with and taking on the identity of the group

Evaluating the Self in the Group Collective Self-Esteem Identity and self-worth is tied to the group A person’s self-concept that is based on their relationships with other and membership in social groups

Protecting the Collective Self  In-group Out-group Bias exaggerating the differences between groups - extolling the virtue of their groups and antagonizing other groups Basking in Reflected Glory (BIRG) stressing association with successful groups. Social Creativity People restrict comparisons to areas where the group is strong and avoid areas where the group is weak 

Protecting the Personal Self 

Stereotype Threat Individuals will refuse to become connected and be seen as a stereotype of the group stereotype threat Individual Mobility Individuals try to reduce connection to the group to minimize stereotype threat