Intergroup Relations and Conflict

Question 1

define intergroup behaviour

Answer 1

any behaviour, perception or cognition that is influenced by people’s recognition/understanding that they are members of distinct social groups

Question 2

identify features of in-groups

Answer 2

• they are important to individual
• individual needs to identify with social group

Question 3

give examples of in-groups

Answer 3

• political view/party
• uni sports team
• one’s country

Question 4

define outgroup

Answer 4

groups that individuals don’t feel they belong to

Question 5

how does intergroup conflict arise?

Answer 5

relative deprivation

Question 6

define relative deprivation

Answer 6

• a sense of having less than we feel entitled to
• perceived gap between expectations/entitlement (what ought to be) and attainments (reality)
• deprivation is relative to other conditions

Question 7

identify types of relative deprivation (Runciman, 1966)

Answer 7

• egoistic relative deprivation
• fraternalistic relative deprivation

Question 8

explain egoistic relative deprivation

Answer 8

• feeling of having less than we are entitled to
• this is relative to our personal aspirations or to other individuals

Question 9

explain fraternalistic relative deprivation

Answer 9

• sensing that our group has less than it is entitled to
• this is relative to the collective aspirations or other groups
• associated with social unrest

Question 10

define social unrest

Answer 10

a form of public engagement that is disruptive to the public order

• riots or forms of social protest used to achieve social change

Question 11

factors that play key role in achieving social change

Answer 11

• individuals must strongly identify with particular group/cause
• cause must be feasible and likely to bring about social change

Question 12

what did Berkowitz (1962) argue about subjective frustrations and the effect this has on behaviour?

Answer 12

• subjective frustrations could produce an instigation to be aggressive
• expression of aggression = strengthened by aggressive associations
• associations = situational cues, past associations

Question 13

How does feelings of relative deprivation, according to Berkowitz’s analysis, lead to collective violence?

Answer 13

• feelings of relative deprivation
• leads to frustration
• aversive environmental conditions amplifies frustration
• individual acts of aggression
• individual acts of aggression escalates due to aggressive stimuli
• aggression becomes more widespread
• aggression becomes dominant response
• aggression spreads rapidly through social facilitation process
• results in collective violence

Question 14

outline the realistic conflict theory (Sherif, 1966)

Answer 14

• theory based on series of summer camp studies
• suggested that when you have different groups competing for scarce resources, intergroup relations become marked by conflict
• ethnocentrism also arises

Question 15

what is ethnocentrism?

Answer 15

• idea that ones own group is better/superior compared to other social groups

Question 16

outline Sherif’s camp studies (1966)

Answer 16

• 22 boys invited to summer camp

Run in 4 phases:
1/ Spontaneous friendship formation
2/ In-group and norm formation
3/ Intergroup competition
4/ Intergroup cooperation

Question 17

outline the first phase of the camp study
1/ Spontaneous friendship formation

Answer 17

• boys arrived at camp
• engaged in activities
• friendships formed

Question 18

outline the second phase of the camp study
2/ In-group and norm formation

Answer 18

• camp divided into 2 groups
• friendships split up
• groups isolated
• separate living quarters
• separate activities
• groups developed norms and status differences

Question 19

outline the third phase of the camp study
3/ Intergroup competition

Answer 19

• groups brought together
• competitive games between groups introduced
• each member of winning team would get prizes
• scarce resources = only one team getting trophy and prizes

Question 20

what were the findings of the third phase
3/ Intergroup competition

Answer 20

• ethnocentric attitudes & behaviour amplified
• majority of intergroup encounters degenerated into intergroup hostility
• intergroup relations deteriorated
• hostility went beyond competition games
• food fights broke out between groups

Sherif showed that when groups compete for a goal, this lead to competition between groups and conflict

Question 21

outline the fourth phase of the camp study
4/ Intergroup cooperation

Answer 21

• superordinate goals introduced
• these are goals that both groups desired
• but goals can only be achieved through cooperation (if groups worked together)

Question 22

what were the findings of phase 4?

Answer 22

• cooperation between the groups to achieve superordinate goal lead to a reduction in intergroup conflict

Question 23

define realistic conflict theory

Answer 23

• argues the nature of the goal is what determines the relationship between in-groups
• tries to explain intergroup behaviour in terms of the nature of goal relations between groups
• at intergroup level, mutually exclusive goals between groups leads to competitions
• shared superordinate goals leads to cooperations and reduction in conflict

Question 24

outline the minimal group paradigm (MGP)
(Tajfel et al., 1971)

Answer 24

• experimental method
• used to investigate if placing people into different social groups could generate problematic intergroup relations
• ppts were invited to come into lab
• assigned to 2 different groups
• ppts only knew their own group membership
• identity of recipients = unknown
• asked to allocate money to others

Question 25

what were then findings of the minimal group paradigm (MGP)?

Answer 25

• found in-group favouritism
• this was found despite no history, no self-interest and identity of other members unknown

Question 26

outline Billig & Tajfel (1973) MGP study

Answer 26

• randomly allocated ppt to X or Y group by tossing coin
• this eliminated possibility of ppt inferring that they are in same group as another
• even with this allocation of group, in-group favouritism and competitive intergroup behaviour found

Question 27

outline the Social Identity Theory

Answer 27

• developed on basis of MGP
• provides motivational account of why people show group favouritism
• as individuals, we have personal identities and social identities
• person identity = characteristics of individual, part of self-concept that is developed from personality traits
• social identity = linked to social groups we belong to/identify with
• social identity = part of self-concept that derives from membership of social groups we are apart of
• according to SIT, people have desire to have positive and secure self-concept
• we are motivated to feel good about ourselves
• this included feeling positive towards the social groups that we belong to

Question 28

why is in-group favouritism shown, according to the social identity theory?

Answer 28

• people will show in-group favouritism because we derive self-esteem from status and achievements from in-groups
• we want to be seen as belonging to good, positive group

Question 29

how does realistic conflict theory explain improving intergroup relations?

Answer 29

• the existence of superordinate goals gradually reduces intergroup hostility and conflict

Question 30

what happens if superordinate goals are unsuccessful in reducing hostility?

Answer 30

• unsuccessful intergroup cooperation may worsen intergroup relations
• especially if failure to achieve goals is as a result of the outgroup

Question 31

how does contact hypothesis explain improving intergroup relations?
(Allport, 1954)

Answer 31

• bringing members of opposing social groups can improve intergroup relations and reduce prejudice & discrimination towards outgroup members

Question 32

what conditions need to be met for contact hypothesis to improve intergroup relations?

Answer 32

• contact should be prolonged & involve cooperative activity
• contact should be between people or groups of equal social status
• contact should occur within framework of official and institutional support for integration (contact needs to be seen as important and valuable)