The in-groups and be identified as a function of defining personal characteristics and group-
related phenomena. Five studies provide evidence for the validity of a qualitative distinction
between centrality, social, communal, and interdependent identification and examine the way in
which culture, gender, group status, relationship attachment style, and group type predicted each
type of identification with groups.
Ethnicity
An ethnic group (or ethnicity) is a group of people whose members identify with each other,
through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture (often
including a shared religion) and an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy
Members of an ethnic group are conscious of belonging to an ethnic group; moreover ethnic
identity is further marked by the recognition from others of a group's distinctiveness. Processes
that result in the emergence of such identification are called ethnogenesis.
The modern usage of "ethnic group" further came to reflect the different kinds of encounters
industrialised states have had with external groups, such as immigrants and indigenous peoples;
"ethnic" thus came to stand in opposition to "national", to refer to people with distinct cultural
identities who, through migration or conquest, had become subject to a state or "nation" with a
different cultural mainstream The opposing interests that divide the working classes are further
reinforced through appeals to "racial" and "ethnic" distinctions. Such appeals serve to allocate
different categories of workers to rungs on the scale of labor markets, relegating stigmatized
populations to the lower levels and insulating the higher echelons from competition from below.
Lifestyle
A set of behaviors, and the senses of self and belonging which these behaviors represent, are
collectively used to define a given lifestyle. The term is defined more broadly when used in
politics, marketing, and publishing. A lifestyle typically reflects an individual's attitudes, values
or worldview. Therefore, a lifestyle is a means of forging a sense of self and to create cultural
symbols that resonate with personal identity. Not all aspects of a lifestyle are entirely
voluntaristic. Surrounding social and technical systems can constrain the lifestyle choices
available to the individual and the symbols she/he is able to project to others and the self
A lifestyle is a characteristic bundle of behaviors that makes sense to both others and oneself in a
given time and place, including social relations, consumption, entertainment, and dress. The
behaviors and practices within lifestyles are a mixture of habits, conventional ways of doing
things, and reasoned actions.
• Exploitation theory: Maintenance of higher status and power restraints over lower status
groups.
• Scapegoating theory: Prejudiced individuals blame minority groups for their own
failures.
• Authoritarian personality approach: This type rigidly adheres to norms and completely
accepts those in authority.
• Structural approach: Institutions promote a “pecking” order among group members.
Discrimination
• Discrimination refers to the verbal and nonverbal actions that carry out prejudiced
attitudes. Four basic practices of discrimination which an individual indulge into are:
• Isolate discrimination: harmful verbal & nonverbal action intentionally targeted toward
an outgroup member on an individual basis.
• Small-group discrimination: group of individuals in ingroup engage in hostile and
abusive actions against outgroup members—but not supported by larger ingroup
Racism
It is nothing but discriminating people on the basis of their caste or religion. Racism involves 3
principles:
• Feelings of superiority
• Strong ingroup preferences and the rejection of outgroups different in customs or
beliefs.
• Doctrine that conveys special advantages to those in power
The concept of in-group and out-group has aroused from the stereotyping process.
De-individuation into a group results in a loss of individual identity and a gaining of the social
identity of the group. There are ways, however of losing ourselves, including:
In-groups are viewed as normal and superior, and are generally the group that one associates with
or aspires to join. An out-group is simply all the other groups. They are seen as lesser than or
inferior to the in-groups.
A second perspective is that of automatic and explicit or subconscious and conscious. Automatic
or subconscious stereotyping is that which everyone does without noticing. Automatic
stereotyping is quickly preceded by an explicit or conscious check which permits time for any
needed corrections. Automatic stereotyping is affected by explicit stereotyping because frequent
conscious thoughts will quickly develop into subconscious stereotypes.