HL - Group dynamics - origins of conflict

Question 1

Realistic conflict theory (RCT)

Answer 1

Intergroup hostility can arise as a result of conflicting goals and competition over limited resources, and it also offers an explanation for the feelings of prejudice and discrimination toward the outgroup that accompany the intergroup hostility. Where SIT states that conflict arises from the inside, this theory states that conflict arises from the outside (competition of limited resources)

Question 2

Social identity theory (SIT)

Answer 2

Origin of conflict:
Groups are easier to make judgements about if we assume that everyone in them is the same. This is where stereotypes most clearly develop.
The more comparable the group (the more similar, local or socially relevant), the more pressure there is to establish positive distinctiveness, and the more likely it is that we will discriminate against members of the other group in order to create that positive difference.
When we have identified a group that we feel we belong to, we will automatically compare it to any other relevant groups that are present.