us versus them

“Man is a social animal” . Social acceptance, social cognitions, extravertisms, are among the many aspects we take into account while our social interactions. So, quite easily we know how important is mixing with people and thus forming groups quite inevitable. Having used the world “group” it might not have been too difficult to conceive it. Although a classic difination, provided by Sherif suggests:

Whenever individuals belonging to one group interact collectively or individually, with another group or its member in terms of their group identifications we have an instance of intergroup behavior.

    Though, defining the meaning of “group” more precisely is problematic. Therefore to avoid large scale social conflicts and other problems relating defining groups in more specific ways, Tajfel(1978) proposed that a group is essentially a set of people who feel that they are a group. Tajfel also proposed that there is continuum of behavior between acting purely in terms of self and purely in terms of group. This means that one can never act totally as a group member, forgetting his/her individuality and vice-versa.

Just like formation of groups is inevitable same is the formation of many groups holding some differences than the others and then interactions between such groups. According to the social schema, during intergroup interactions, social categorization is a very likely cognitive process to happen. Without this process of social categorization, intergroup behavior cannot occur. Central to this is the concept of stereotyping. Stereotypes are practiced to preconceptions that mark out certain objects a s familiar or strange, emphasizing the differences, so that the slightly familiar is seen as very familiar and the somewhat strange as sharply alien. Stereotype ca also be defined as a simplified and relatively fixed image of all members of a culture or group. Their generalizations about people that are based on limited, sometimes inaccurate but often easily available information and are characterized by no or minimal contact with members of the stereotyped groups and on second-hand information rather than first-hand experience.

However, a single statement or attitude about the group of people that does not recognize the complex multi-dimensional nature of individual human beings irrespective of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender or nationality. Stereotypes can be positive, negative or mixed, but are usually unfair and misleading. In general, they reduce individuals to a rigid, inflexible image.

     Stereotypes matter because they have EFFECTS. Lyons and Kashima (2003) showed that, when accounts are passed from one person to another, the true information is at a risk of not conforming to the stereotyped expectations and hence gradually being dropped. In the same year they also proved that the emphasis on stereotypical information was strongest when the story teller and their audience shared the same stereotypes. Memories also reflect stereotypes (Bellaza and Bower,1981). Fiske concluded that there is a tendency to remember what matches the stereotypical expectations more in complex social settings, where due to some reasons people failed to focus on information which is not in line with the stereotype. What effects does stereotyping have on those who are stereotyped? The effect is more importantly called “stereotyped threat”. Steele (1997) suggested that when an individual is aware that they could be the target of an negative or demeaning stereotype, there performance may be impaired on tasks relevant to that stereotype. Simple focus on stereotyped beliefs about other groups may take matters to prejudice and discrimination.

The flowchart below gives a summary.

Individualsà GROUPà more than one groupà “us” versus “them”à our’s: familiar as very familiar; their’s: somewhat strange as alien (STEREOTYPING)à overestimation of intergroup differencesà PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION