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.
Ronit used to curse his school for its poor infrastructure and lack of events hosted by his school. During a zonal level competition, one of his friends lost the match and was criticized by students of other schools. After this incident, Ronit started taking the side of his friend because of:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Ingroup bias
Option (1) Harsh feeling towards his own school — Incorrect. This is how Ronit felt before the competition. Harsh feelings towards his school would not make him defend a schoolmate.
Option (2) Halo effect — Incorrect. The halo effect is a rater’s bias: one favourable or unfavourable trait colours the whole judgment of a person. Ronit is not judging his friend from one trait; he takes his side against outsiders.
Option (3) Ingroup bias — Correct. The ingroup is one’s own group (‘we’) and the outgroup is another group (‘they’); members of the ingroup are generally viewed favourably, and outgroup members are often perceived negatively. When students of other schools criticised his friend, his school became ‘we’ and they became ‘they’, so Ronit sided with his own group in spite of his complaints about it.
Option (4) Strong liking for the match — Incorrect. Ronit takes the side of a person from his group, not of a game; liking a match does not explain why he defends the friend who lost.
NCERT (2025-26): “Ingroup and Outgroup … Just as individuals compare themselves with others in terms of similarities and differences with respect to what they have and what others have, individuals also compare the group they belong to with groups of which they are not a member. The term ‘ingroup’ refers to one’s own group, and ‘outgroup’ refers to another group. For ingroup members, we use the word ‘we’ while for outgroup members, the word ‘they’ is used. By using the words they and we, one is categorising people as similar or different. It has been found that persons in the ingroup are generally supposed to be similar, are viewed favourably, and have desirable traits.…” “Prejudice and Discrimination … A strong social identity and ingroup bias : Individuals who have a strong sense of social identity and have a very positive attitude towards their own group boost this attitude by holding negative attitudes towards other groups. These are shown as prejudices.…” |