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Exploring how being part of a team, club, or group influences our identity and viewpoints.
Why does it feel like your school is the 'best' one in the district, even if you've never visited the others? It turns out, your brain is wired to pick sides!
An in-group is any circle of people where you feel like you belong. This could be your family, your soccer team, or even just a group of friends who all like the same video game. When we join a group, our brain starts to see that group as part of our identity. We begin to use the word 'we' instead of 'I.' This sense of belonging is a basic human need that makes us feel safe and supported. However, the moment we define an 'us,' we accidentally create a 'them'—people who are outside our circle.
Identifying your groups is the first step to understanding your perspective. 1. Family Group: The people you live with. 2. Interest Group: Your school's robotics club. 3. Category Group: Being a 'Grade 6 student.' Each of these groups gives you a different 'hat' to wear.
Quick Check
What is the term for a group that you feel you belong to and identify with?
Answer
An in-group.
Loyalty is the strong feeling of support or allegiance to your group. It is a 'social glue.' While loyalty is usually a good thing, it can lead to in-group bias. This is a mental shortcut where we automatically think our group members are smarter, kinder, or more 'right' than people in other groups. We might even forgive a friend for a mistake while getting angry at a stranger for doing the exact same thing. Our loyalty acts like a filter, changing how we process information.
Imagine you are watching a basketball game between your school and a rival school. 1. A player from your school trips. You think: 'That's a foul! The other team is playing dirty!' 2. A player from the rival school trips in the same way. You think: 'They're just clumsy; they're trying to fake a foul.' Even though the physical action was the same, your loyalty changed your judgment.
Quick Check
How can group loyalty 'bias' our perspective during a conflict?
Answer
It makes us more likely to favor our own group's actions and judge the other group more harshly for the same behavior.
Belonging to a group has massive benefits: you get protection, shared resources, and a sense of purpose. It’s easier to achieve a goal when people work together than when person works alone. The challenge is 'Groupthink.' This happens when we are so afraid of losing our spot in the group that we stop thinking for ourselves. We might agree with a bad idea just to stay loyal. To be a great group member, you must learn to balance your identity with your own independent values.
Your group of friends decides to exclude a new student from the lunch table. 1. The Pressure: You feel the urge to go along with it to stay 'in' with your friends. 2. The Logic: You realize this contradicts your value of kindness. 3. The Action: You suggest, 'Let's give them a chance,' even though it might be unpopular. This is overcoming groupthink.
Which of the following is an example of an 'in-group'?
What is 'Groupthink'?
In-group bias only happens to people who are mean or unkind.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to name three different 'in-groups' you belong to and one way each group influences how you see the world.
Practice Activity
The next time you disagree with someone from a 'rival' group (like a different school or sports team), ask yourself: 'Would I feel differently if this person were on my team?'