As human beings, we need to be in groups in order to survive. While there are some species that can live on their own, most organize themselves into groups.
IN CONTEXT
Think about common groups of animals. Lions are in prides, wolves are in packs, and there are even families of birds. Primates, who are the closest to us in terms of evolution, form social groups that are quite similar to ours. Like these animals, it’s ingrained in us as humans that we need each other to survive.
We form groups around certain shared things, and the primary group we belong to is family. Many people maintain those family ties and bonds throughout their lives.
The next three things around which we form groups are:
We tend to feel that we are more similar to people in groups who do the same things we do than we are to those who are not in those groups.
Groups can provide this sense of similarity even if we haven't met the other people in the group.
EXAMPLE
There are a number of groups that function solely online. One of these is made up of people who are looking for coupons. They have organized themselves into a group and share tips on how to find and use coupons. They have a name for themselves, and they feel this similarity with one another. They probably don't know everybody in the group, but there's that sense that they are alike in terms of their interest.This sense of similarity could come from anything; everyone has experienced this feeling at one time or another.
EXAMPLE
Think of the high school you went to. When you meet somebody who graduated from that high school, you identify with that person. Or when you cheer for a particular sports team, you don't know everybody in the stadium cheering with you, but you're part of the same group.If we feel that we have this similarity with people who share an interest, goal, or value that means we also feel dissimilar from people who don't share that interest, goal, or value.
This is the beginning of in-groups and out-groups. As you may remember from an earlier lesson, the in-group is any group that we define ourselves as being part of. We feel like we're similar to people in that group because of a shared interest/goal/value.
The out-group is the group of people who do not share that same interest/goal/value. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean there is any animosity towards this group.
Rather, the in-group is just the sense that there’s an “us.” If we define ourselves as part of this group, this is us. If there's an us, there has to be a “them.”
EXAMPLE
This starts early. When kids go to school, they form different groups based around interests. There's the debate team, the football team, the band, perhaps a science group. There can also be peer pressure as a result, which shows just how powerful groups sometimes are. People begin to form these bonds at a very young age.EXAMPLE
This often happens politically. There can be real tension between someone who identifies as a Republican and someone who identifies as a Democrat.There is also a more mild form of tension that can build between groups.
EXAMPLE
Say you’re a cyclist, and you like to commute to work on your bike everyday. You know several people who do not commute on their bikes and instead drive cars to work. There might be a little bit of tension between those who are driving cars and those who are riding bikes. This tension can be a result of safety, use of bike lanes, the environment, or a combination of factors.EXAMPLE
If you are a vegetarian, you have certain interests, goals, and values around food, and you may share those with other vegetarians. But there might be some people who are a little bit more strict, such as vegans. This can result in an argument about what it really means to eat in this particular style.There might not necessarily be a large amount of animosity, but just a little bit of conflict.
EXAMPLE
You are part of a group supporting a specific cause, and you're working together with other people in this group towards a shared goal. But somebody is not quite pulling his or her weight; this person is not participating in the way that you or others think he or she should be. This can cause conflict.Source: Adapted from Sophia tutorial by Marlene Johnson.