Social Identity and Group Membership (8A) - MCAT Psychological and Social Foundations

Small, close, enduring relationships (for example, family, close friends). Intimate groups provide emotional support and identity.

A shared objective requiring cooperation between groups. Common goals reduce conflict between groups.

Judgments shift toward the in-group norm or prototype. Members converge toward group's typical position.

Negative attitudes or behavior directed toward an out-group. Prejudice against those outside one's group.

Maintaining or enhancing self-esteem via positive group distinctiveness. Groups boost self-worth through positive comparisons.

Context-dependent salience of social identity. Different situations activate different group identities.

In-group favoritism (minimal group effect). Demonstrates bias from mere categorization alone.

A group with which an individual identifies and feels belonging. Members share values, goals, and a sense of "we" versus "they."

Out-group homogeneity bias. Viewing out-group members as interchangeable rather than unique.

Group discussion strengthens the group’s initial average attitude. Groups amplify pre-existing tendencies through mutual reinforcement.

Context shifts identity from personal self to group-based self. Situations activate different identities (personal vs. group member).

Motivation to view one’s in-group as better than relevant out-groups. Drive to see our group as superior maintains positive social identity.

Evaluating one’s group relative to other groups to gain esteem. We boost self-esteem by comparing our group favorably to others.

Classifying self and others into groups (e.g., “us” vs “them”). First step in social identity: mentally sorting people into groups.

In-group favoritism can occur with arbitrary group assignment. Even random grouping creates bias, showing how easily we form in-groups.

A group to which an individual does not belong or identify. Creates social boundaries between "us" and "them."

Deindividuation. Loss of individual identity in groups enables uncharacteristic behavior.

Large, impersonal, goal-oriented group with weaker ties. Secondary groups focus on specific objectives, with interactions that are more formal and less emotionally invested than primary groups.

A group with which an individual identifies and feels membership. Members share identity and sense of belonging.

A group to which an individual does not belong or identify. Perceived as different from one's own group.

Attributing out-group negatives to traits and positives to situations. Biased attributions protect in-group image.

Attributing successes internally and failures externally. Protects self-esteem through biased attributions.

Classifying people into groups to simplify social perception. Mental shortcuts organize complex social world.

People seek positive distinctiveness to enhance self-esteem. Group membership boosts self-worth through comparison.

Minimal group paradigm (in-group favoritism with trivial groups). Shows bias emerges from mere categorization.

Intergroup contact reduces prejudice under optimal conditions. Direct interaction can improve intergroup relations.

Equal status, common goals, cooperation, and institutional support. Allport's conditions for successful intergroup contact.

Basking in reflected glory (BIRGing) to restore self-esteem. Associating with successful groups enhances self-image.

In-group favoritism can occur without meaningful group differences. Proves categorization alone creates bias.