In-group and Out-group
Examples of ingroup and outgroup ranges from genders to football teams. Our ability to form in-groups and out-groups happens from childhood. Bullying is an example of an in-group undermining an out-group. The concept of in-group and out-group is centered on the work of Tajfel and his team carried out in the 1970s. They emphasized not only the idea that in-groups try to make themselves superior to others, but also that they will work together to raise their status if they feel undermined. There are multitude of groups that an individual can belong.
Togetherness, binding and mutual attraction among group members are the characteristic features of:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Cohesiveness
Option (1) Competition — Incorrect. Competition is rivalry between persons or groups; it pulls people against one another rather than binding them together.
Option (2) Cohesiveness — Correct. Cohesiveness refers to togetherness, binding, or mutual attraction among group members. As a group becomes more cohesive, its members think, feel and act as a social unit; it is the team spirit or ‘we feeling’.
Option (3) Distinctiveness — Incorrect. Distinctiveness means being different from others. It describes how a group stands apart, not the bond among its members.
Option (4) Polarisation — Incorrect. Group polarisation is the group’s tendency to take more extreme decisions than individuals alone, a feature of group decisions rather than of the bond among members.
NCERT (2025-26): “… Cohesiveness refers to togetherness, binding, or mutual attraction among group members. As the group becomes more cohesive, group members start to think, feel and act as a social unit, and less like isolated individuals. Members of a highly cohesive group have a greater desire to remain in the group in comparison to those who belong to low cohesive groups. Cohesiveness refers to the team spirit or ‘we feeling’ or a sense of belongingness to the group.…” |