Tutorial 5 - Article 1 - The group self Flashcards
What is the group self?
A part of people’s self-view that is based on the groups to which they belong
What influence can the group self have?
Group goals and motivations overrule individual motivations, and people think, feel and act primarily as group members instead of individuals
What kind of groups can people belong to?
Groups that they chose themselves (club supporters, people who wear a certain brand, etc.) or groups that people naturally belong to (ethnicity, family, age group, etc.)
Why are groups important?
They play an important role in how people see themselves and others, because they help to quickly make sense of a new situation and how others relate to them or might behave
What impact do groups have on norms and behavior?
Groups can dictate the behavior and norms through social categorization (boys vs. girls)
How does social comparison relate to making sense of the situation?
How we judge and group individuals (and how we expect them to behave) because they belong to a certain social group
How does social comparison relate to making sense of the situation
Understanding how others relate to the individual
How does context relate to making sense of the situation and distinguishing oneself from others?
The group self that becomes relevant depends on which is the most useful to distinguish the self from others in a given context
What is the focus of ‘making sense of the situation’?
Group salience and distinctiveness, context dependence of group self
What processes relate to ‘what it means to be a group member’?
1) Social identification (connecting the group’s actions and achievements to one’s personal experiences and emotions
2) In/outgroup differentiation
What is the focus of ‘what it means to be a group member’?
Emotional significance of group membership, inclusion of others in the (group) self
What processes relate to ‘being included or excluded’
1) Categorization threat (when people are perceived and treated by others in terms of a group that does not converge with their own preferred group)
2) stereotype threat (inappropriate references to the group self having adverse effects on motivation
What is the focus of ‘being included or excluded’?
Convergence of own vs. others’ definition of self, transfer of group characteristics to self
What processees relate to ‘when the group self is under threat’?
1) Highlighting individual differences with other group members (when the group is immediately visible)
2) Masking group membership in order to improve personal outcomes
What is the focus of ‘when the group self is under threat’?
Avoiding or defending against implications of stigmzatized identity, self-denial, self-hate
