Read the passage and answer the following questions:

It is generally seen that important decisions are taken by groups and not by individuals alone. For example, a decision had to be taken regarding corruption charges against an employee. Johnson was an employee working as an Assistant Manager in a pharma company. He joined this company in 2020 and has proven his mettle by his performance and commitment. One day he was caught red-handed by a senior official of the company while he was taking bribes from a client for some favor. This news spread like fire in the company. A high level committee consisting of 5 members was set up to look into the matter. There had been precedence when demotion was awarded as a punishment in similar cases. Initially, when the inquiry was set up, every member was of the view of downgrading his current rank. But one member shared his/her view about his termination. Over the discussions, it was found that every member developed an opinion about Johnson's termination from the services. It is a general tendency that when one's view is favoured by others, the person feels like his view is validated by the public. In this matter, the committee finally announced his termination.

When you find people having similar views, you are likely to perceive them as:

Ingroup

The correct answer is Option (2) → Ingroup

Ingroup: An ingroup is a social group to which a person psychologically identifies as being a member. People often feel a sense of belonging, loyalty, and shared identity with their ingroup. When individuals find others who share their views, beliefs, or opinions, they are likely to perceive those individuals as part of their ingroup, leading to a sense of validation and camaraderie. In the passage, as the committee members' opinions converged, they formed a cohesive ingroup with a shared view, reinforcing their final decision.