The Hidden Code of Connection – Part 3 : Us vs. Them: The Psychology of Intergroup Conflict and Identity
The Hidden Code of Connection 1 Architects of Reality: How the Social Mind Predicts the World 2 Compliance and Conversion: Navigating the Pressures of Social Influence 3 Justifying the Unthinkable: Authority, Aggression, and Moral Compromise 4 Us vs. Them: The Psychology of Intergroup Conflict and Identity 5 Hardwired for Affiliation: Love, Loss, and the Need to Belong ← Series Home From Interpersonal Conflict to Group Identity To understand social conflict fully, analysis must shift from the individual’s perspective to the intergroup perspective, recognizing that individuals categorize themselves as group members. This intergroup mindset—thinking in terms of competition rather than personal differences—profoundly affects behavior. Musaf Sherif’s research set the stage for this understanding, moving beyond intragroup processes (like conformity) to focus on how comparisons between one’s own group and others affect prejudice and hostility. ...