PSY 355 Module Three Activity Template

Complete this template by replacing the bracketed text with the relevant information. 

Respond to the following rubric criteria in 3 to 5 sentences each. 

● Describe this experience and the ways in which it relates to in-group favoritism.

In-group favoritism is the tendency of individuals to believe that their group is better than
others in order to help their own self-esteem (Kaufman, 2019). In-group favoritism can involve
favoritism towards someone’s race, gender, nationality, religion, and so much more. This type of
behavior can be a learned behavior. For example, in high school a lot of clicks/groups are
established and segregation begins to show. In the lunchroom, one table could be athletes only
while another is for band members only. When someone walks into the lunchroom and
observes this behavior or segregation then follow suit. They may only sit with the group that
defines them or what will help raise their self-esteem and feel superior.

● Describe how acceptance as a group member impacted your sense of self and identity.

The above scenario is how in-group favoritism occurred in my high school. In order to fit in you
had to confirm to your ideological group. I was an athlete in high school, but was also a bit of an
introvert. I usually hung out with a few people that I played sports with and kept my friends
circle very small unlike a lot of my peers. My circle grew bigger every year as I began to play
more sports and venture out of my shell. Through this experience and being accepted along
with accepting others, I believe my true self came out. I became a social butterfly and began to
conform to the social norm of being an athlete and the perks of being one.

● Describe the ways in which this experience influenced you to conform to group norms.

Conforming to group norms can have either a negative impact on one’s life or a positive one. It
ultimately comes down to whether an individual wants to conform to a group's norms or try
something new that could potentially benefit them in another way.

Personally, I believe acceptance in a specific group truly does raise an individual’s self-esteem
but it’s whether they conform and maintain the conformity that will determine whether their
self-esteem will continue in a positive way or negative way. For me, I stopped conforming once I
graduated high school and focused more on being accepted into multiple groups instead of just
one and because of that I was able to be my true self and try new things.

● Describe how this experience may have inadvertently promoted prejudice toward others.

Once again it comes down to conformity and whether an individual can conform to the group's
norms. If the group or even just one person in the group doesn’t believe that a person belongs
then prejudice can arise. Prejudice can be described as having negative feelings about someone
because they aren’t a part of your social group or share the same values as you.

For example, an athlete versus a band member. Most people, to include members in a band,
will state that people that played an instrument or were part of the marching band we called,

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 “band geeks”, while those that played a sport were called, “jocks”. In the cafeteria, the jocks
would sit at one table while the band geeks would sit at another table. Each stereotypical group
either had or felt some sort of prejudice towards the other group simply because they didn’t
share the same feelings or attitudes.
This is how and why most of society today distinguishes prejudice to include myself. If someone
doesn’t fit the mold of a societal group then they will be judged and unfortunately this is how
our world has turned out.

● Describe how this experience demonstrates the costs and benefits of social categorization.

Social categorization is another word for stereotype and we all know stereotypes can be either
positive or negative. We, as society, are basically dividing individuals into different groups or
categories based on different stereotypes (race, gender, ethnicity…). The benefit of social
categorization is that it provides us with information about the characteristics of people who
belong to certain social groups (Myers, 2018). With all experiments involving categorization we
must first be aware of any biases or overgeneralization. Perception of a specific social group can
hinder the outcome of how others are treated.

● Describe the ways in which stereotypical assumptions about a person’s race, ethnicity, or
culture, even if not blatantly prejudiced, influences our worldview.

I personally believe in today’s society we are influenced greatly by social media, whether the
information being presented is true or not. A prime example is the BLM movement and the
racial biases that were put on law enforcement agencies. Although some instances that
occurred during that time, such as George Floyd murder, deserved to be told and those
accountable should be prosecuted that is just one person not a whole department. They
mentioned the guy originally was a white man and he killed a black man. Since the media
portrayed it this way society started stereotyping every white cop as a racist that could get away
with any crime because of their skin color. These assumptions of stereotypes cause a worldwide
panic and chaos. Each racial group was in the middle and each tried to fight the stereotypical
views that society established for them. It’s sad that this is the world we live in now that we
allow social media to influence our social views on how we treat and interact with one another.

● Describe the strengths and limitations of social identity theory as it applies to the promotion of
diversity, equity, and inclusivity.

One strength of social identity theory is it’s a good tool for understanding human behavior. This
is especially important when understanding the differences of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
Diversity can be described as the categorization of individuals based on their ethical
background, social background, gender, and so much more. Equity can be described as equally
dividing individuals into their perspective groups (men versus women). Inclusivity can be
described as including those that would normally not be able partake due to some sort of
ailment and ensuring they are given the same treatment and opportunities as everyone else.

One limitation of social identity theory when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusivity is lack
of understanding the environment surrounding the individuals that are involved. Limitations
such as their cultural expectation or whether their commitment or involvement will be
rewarding.

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References:

Kaufman, S. B. (2019, June 7). In-Group Favoritism Is Difficult to Change, Even When the Social
Groups Are Meaningless. Scientific American Blog Network.
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/in-group-favoritism-is-difficult-to-cha
nge-even-when-the-social-groups-are-meaningless/.

Myers, D. (2018). Social Psychology. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved from

https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781260140569/