Ingroup bias: The bad…and the good?

Among the longest-standing and robust findings in psychological research is ingroup bias—often called ingroup favouritism. It refers to people’s tendency to favour people who are members of groups or categories to which they belong or with which they identify over people who are members of groups or categories to which they do not belong or with which they do not identify.’

Much discussion of ingroup bias focuses on its negative effects. This centers on the many ways we treat people who are not in our groups more negatively compared to how we treat people in groups to which we belong.

And although it is important to be aware of these negative effects and to try to reduce and alleviate them, it is also helpful to recognize and capitalize on the positive effects of ingroup bias. This focuses on the beneficial consequences ingroup bias on our relationships with people who are members of groups to which we belong or with which we identify. In the following sections, I will discuss the bad and the good sides of the double-edged sword known as ingroup bias.

Ingroups and outgroups

Your ingroups are groups or categories of which you are a member. Your outgroups are groups or categories of which you are not a member. Ingroups and outgroups can be based on characteristics you are born with such as your gender, your race, your nationality and your race/ethnicity. They also include groups which you ‘join’ such as your school, your occupation or the sports teams which you support.

So, if you are a Canadian, other Canadians are in your ingroup and non-Canadians are in the outgroup. Other psychologists are in my ingroup and people who work in other occupations are in the outgroup. Supporters of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in my ingroup and supporters of the other Canadian Football League’s teams are in the outgroup. Other males are in my ingroup and females are in the outgroup.

In many instances, you share membership with your ingroup members for your entire life (as with your race). It is also common to have extensive contact over time with your ingroup members (as with members of your family or with members of the organization/company where you work).

However, ingroups and outgroups can also be established randomly and instantly. Think of times when two captains choose team members for a game. For example, a famous research study examining prejudice and discrimination randomly assigned boys at a summer camp to be members of the Eagles or the Rattlers. The two groups then competed against each other in several activities to illustrate how ingroup bias effects can be created instantly.

The downsides of ingroup bias

Ingroup bias leads us to favour the members of our ingroup over members of the outgroups for no reason other than that they are in our group. This favouritism manifests itself in our attitudes and behaviours. That is, we tend to have more favourable attitudes toward members of our ingroup compared with outgroup members. We also tend to behave more favourably toward members of our ingroup than we do toward members of outgroups.

The most prominent issues stemming from ingroup bias are prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice takes the form of members of an ingroup disliking someone from the outgroup based on one or more characteristics or categories.  Prejudice may be based on characteristics such as race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status and political affiliation

Discrimination takes the form of members of an ingroup behaving negatively toward members of the outgroup based on one or more of these categories. Discrimination manifests itself in avoiding contact with members of the outgroup and behaving in an unfavourable manner toward outgroup members when encountering them. It can extend to unfair treatment toward outgroup members in such realms as employment, education, housing, policing and the justice system.

The upsides of ingroup bias

The upsides of ingroup bias do not negate or excuse the downsides. However, there are significant benefits which are often overlooked because of the focus on the costs.

We develop instant liking, connection and bonding with members of our groups. Being a member of the same group instills a sense of ‘we-ness’ whether it is established by being of the same race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status,  political affiliation, school, organization or sports team supporter.

The positive feelings engendered by being in the same group need not involve the development of such goodwill over time and through contact. Studies have found that randomly assigning participants to groups based on arbitrary factors quickly leads to positive emotions and favourable behaviours toward members of one’s ingroup.

This often leads to the formation of relationships—personal and otherwise—with members of our ingroups. Given the critical role of relationships in mental health and happiness, the facilitating role played by ingroup bias in this process should not be overlooked.

Managing ingroup bias: Enjoying the benefits while addressing the costs

Ingroup bias is not a zero-sum proposition in which enjoying the benefits necessitates accepting the costs. In other words, it is possible to have great connections and relationships with others in your ingroup without it requiring you to have negative attitudes and display unfair behaviours toward members of outgroups.

Even better news is that you can use the benefits of ingroup bias to decrease its costs. I will discuss these topics in my next article.

May you acknowledge the downsides of ingroup bias while appreciating the upsides,

-Dr. Pat