GROUP DYNAMICS | LESSON 3: INCLUSION AND IDENTITY

THREE INTERRELATED PROCESSES THAT THE TEMPORAL NEED-THREAT MODEL OF

DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OSTRACISM
INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS
1. …INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION
- THE NEED TO BELONG
o The generalized desire to seek out and join
other people, which, when unsatisfied, causes
a state of tension and want
o A drive to form a and maintain at least a
minimum quantity of lasting, positive, and
impactful interpersonal relationship
o Baumeister and Leary (1995) suggest that EXCLUSION CAN TRIGGER:
much of human behavior is motivated by the 1. FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE
need to belong o Response to stressful events by the activation
- Aristotle vs Henry David Thoreau (disagreed) of SNS
o Aristotle suggested that “Man is by nature a o Counter the threat: FIGHT
social animal; and an unsocial person who is o Escape the threat: FLIGHT
unsocial naturally and not accidentally is o To confront or to withdraw
either unsatisfactory or superhuman” 2. TEND-AND-BEFRIEND RESPONSE
- Longing for privacy vs longing for company o Nurturing, protective and supportive
- Doing things alone vs doing things in group behaviors: TENDING
- LONELINESS o Initiating and strengthening relationships with
o Aversive psychological reaction to a perceived other people: BEFRIENDING
lack of personal or social relations 3. VIOLENCE TARGETING THE SOURCE OF
o One’s personal relationships are perceived to THE EXCLUSION
be too few or too unsatisfying HERD INSTINCT
o EMOTIONAL LONELINESS –occurs - The idea that humans are instinctively drawn to gather
when the problem is lack of long-term with other humans is not a new one
meaningful, intimate relationships SOCIOMETER THEORY (MARK LEARY)
o SOCIAL LONELINESS –occurs when - Hypothesizes that self-esteem provides individuals
people feel cut off from their network of with feedback about their degree of inclusion in groups
friends
- OSTRACISM (OSTRACA)
o Excluding one or more individuals from a
group by reducing or eliminating contact with
the person, usually by ignoring, shunning, or
explicitly banishing them
o Greeks: punish members of the community
with banishment by inscribing their names on
potshards called ostraca

THE INCLUSION-EXCLUSION CONTINUUM

2.….INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM

- INDIVIDUALISM
o A tradition, ideology, or personal out look that
emphasizes the primacy of the individual and
his or her rights, independence, and
relationships with other individuals
- INDIVIDUALISTS (independents/idiocentrics)
o Individuals predisposed to put their own
personal interests and motivations above the
The inclusion–exclusion continuum. When individuals are
group’s interests and goals
actively sought out by groups, they experience maximum
inclusion. When groups actively ostracize, people experience
maximum exclusion (Leary, 1990)
GROUP DYNAMICS | LESSON 3: INCLUSION AND IDENTITY
- COLLECTIVISM comes from personal among group
o A tradition, ideology, or personal orientation triumphs in members, group is
that emphasizes the primacy of the group or competition with protected at all costs;
community rather than each individual person. others strong sense of duty
- COLLECTIVISTS (interdependents/allocentrics) and pride in group’s
o Individuals predisposed to put the group’s successes
interests and goals above their personal SOCIAL GOAL
interests and motivations - Is an objective that focuses on building relationships,
FACET INDIVIDUALISM COLLECTIVISM contributing to society, or improving interactions with
others
Concern for Concern for nurturing - Emphasize cooperation, communication, and
maintaining relations and maintaining community well-being
that yield personal harmonious relations NORM OF EQUITY
benefits and few with others (communal - Focuses on fairness based on individual contributions
SOCIAL costs (exchange orientation);
- People should receive rewards proportional to what
RELATIONS orientation); memberships including
they put in
memberships are family, tribes, villages,
limited to family and organizations, and NORM OF EQUALITY
close personal social clubs - Focuses on fairness by ensuring everyone gets the
friendships same resources or opportunities regardless of
EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP individual contribution
- Involves a give and take dynamic based on reciprocity FACET INDIVIDUALISM COLLECTIVISM
- People keep track of contributions and expect The independent self is The interdependent
something in return based on one’s personal, self is based on group
- NORM OF RECIPROCITY idiosyncratic level relationships,
o The expectation that people will return favors SOCIAL characteristics; each self roles, and social
SELF
or kindness received from others is autonomous and identities rather than
COMMUNAL RELATIONSHIP unique individual personal
- Focuses on mutual care and support without expecting qualities
immediate repayment
- People give help out of concern for the other person’s 3.….PERSONAL IDENTITY AND SOCIAL IDENTITY
well-being PERSONAL IDENTITY
FACET INDIVIDUALISM COLLECTIVISM - Includes qualities that distinguish individuals from one
Behavior is guided by Behavior is guided by another
personal attitudes and group norms and roles; SOCIAL IDENTITY (COLLECTIVE SELF)
SOCIAL preferences; context decisions made by - Includes all those qualities shared in common with
OBLIGATIONS is not as important as leaders and the group others.
personal attitudes
Groups with collectivistic group cultures stress loyalty, Individualists’ identities emphasize their personal qualities,
hierarchy, and conformity more so than individualistic groups whereas collectivists’ identities emphasize connections to
GROUP CULTURE other people
- Refers to the shared values, beliefs, norms, and
behaviors that shape how members of a group interact OPTIMAL DISTINCTIVENESS THEORY
and work together - A conceptual analysis that assumes individuals strive
- It influences decision-making, communication, and to maintain a balance between three basic needs:
the overall atmosphere within the group o the need to be assimilated by the group,
- VALUES – core principles that guide group’s behavior o the need to be connected to friends and loved
- NORMS – unwritten rules about acceptable behavior ones, and
- ROLES – assigned or natural positions w/in the group o the need for autonomy and differentiation
- COMMUNICATON STYLE – how members SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY (TAJFEL & TURNER)
interact - A theoretical analysis of group processes and
- TRADITIONS & RITUALS – shared activities that intergroup relations that assumes groups influence
strengthens group their members’ self-concepts and self-esteem,
FACET INDIVIDUALISM COLLECTIVISM particularly when individuals categorize themselves as
group members and identify with the group
SOCIAL Striving for personal Concern for group
MOTIVES - Explains how people define themselves based on
success; satisfaction success, cooperation
group memberships
GROUP DYNAMICS | LESSON 3: INCLUSION AND IDENTITY
MINIMAL INTERGROUP SITUATION PROTECTING THE PERSONAL SELF
- A research procedure used in studies of intergroup STREOTYPE THREAT
conflict that involves creating temporary groups of - A psychological phenomenon in which individuals
anonymous, unrelated people feel at risk of confirming negative stereotypes about
SOCIAL CATEGORIZATION their social group
- People categorize themselves and others into groups INDIVIDUAL MOBILITY
- Like by nationality, profession, interests - Reducing one’s connection to a group in order to
o STEREOTYPES (or prototypes) minimize the threat to individual self-esteem
A socially shared set of cognitive
generalizations (e.g., beliefs and expectations)
about the qualities and characteristics of the
typical member of a particular group or social
category
o SELF-STEREOTYPING-autostereotyping
Occurs when individuals apply stereotypes
based on those categories to themselves
SOCIAL IDENTIFICATION
- Individuals adopt the norms, values, and behaviors of
the group they belong to
SOCIAL COMPARISON
- People compare their group to others to enhance self-
esteem
- Can lead into ingroup bias and outgroup
discrimination
EVALUATING THE SELF
COLLECTIVE SELF-ESTEEM
Refers to an individual’s self-worth derived from their
membership in a social group

-BASKING IN REFLECTED GLORY (BIRGING)

o Seeking direct or indirect association with
prestigious or successful groups or individuals
- CUTTING OFF REFLECTED FAILURE
(CORFing)
o Distancing oneself from a group the performs
poorly
PROTECTING THE COLLECTIVE SELF
INGROUP-OUTGROUP BIAS
- The tendency to view the ingroup, its members, and its
products more positively than other groups, their
members, and their products
- Ingroup favoritism is more common than the outgroup
rejection
SOCIAL CREATIVITY
- A strategy people use to maintain positive social
identity when their group is seen as lower in status
compared to other groups
- Instead of trying to compete directly, individuals or
groups redefine the comparison in a way that
highlights their strengths