Fundamental Motives Between Groups

Fundamental Motives Between Groups The roots of dividing into ingroups and outgroups run deep in our evolutionary history, as early humans’ survival depended on forming relatively small groups of similar others. A fundamental motive to protect one’s ingroup and be suspicious of outgroups is therefore likely to have evolved. Consistent with this idea are the results of experiments that demonstrate that when people’s basic motivations of self-protection are activated—such as in response to a threatening situation, economic scarcity, a scary movie, concerns about the flu, or even being in a completely dark room—people are more prone to exhibit prejudice toward outgroups or to be especially hesitant to see possible outgroup members as part of one’s ingroup.

The flip side to the distrust of outgroups is the positive feelings we have toward being part of an ingroup. The feeling of connection and solidarity we have with our own groups enhances our sense of control and meaning, and it is associ- ated with numerous psychological as well as physical health benefits. Sanaz Talaifar and William Swann use the term identity fusion to describe the sense of “oneness” that people may feel with a group. This feeling can motivate helpful behavior toward the group, even at the risk of personal sacrifice.