An ingroup is a social category or a group that you strongly identify with. An outgroup is basically the opposite, it is a group that you don’t identify with. There are a lot of differences between these outgroups and ingroups, these may be the language and speech styles they create or use, their different dress codes, and the different pageants and festivals that are in their traditions and rituals.
When I read about ingroups and outgroups it made me relate the concept to different religions and made me think that religions can be considered to a certain degree an ingroup and outgroup. I can think how ingroups and outgroups can relate to someone’s everyday life and how the groups that they identify with work with the groups that they don’t identify with. Another thing that I found which is interesting was the infrahumanization effect where people express human qualities to members of their ingroup and to their outgroup they tend to show less human like characteristics and more animal like qualities to outgroups.
I think religions are definitely ingroups. Within even just one religion, I think that there can be many different ingroups as well. For example, there are many different branches of Christianity, however, all can relate in their belief in Jesus Christ. However, as we’ve learned in class from hearing about the history of England, they don’t always get along despite being part of a larger ingroup.
It is very interesting that you bring up religion as an in and outgroup because those organizations and themes definitely have community and one may feel like they are in or not. Like the other comment said there can also be different in groups within an establishment like religion with different denominations.
I also thought that this was an interesting concept because it is true that we often dehumanize and devalue those who we cannot relate to. Although it sounds cruel I believe it is a mechanism that is used to protect ourselves and our values. If another person cannot understand or relate to those customs it is easier to see them as inferior.
In the world today where everything is so polarized, I think you could say politic parties have ingroups and outgroups.
I think religion is a very good point. I never realized how much religion can separate people. All of my friends are Christian and even though I don’t discriminate based on religion when it comes to choosing my friends, it’s interesting how I always find myself with like-minded people.
I agree with the point you made about religion and the divides it causes. I also thought your mention of how people “tend to show less human like characteristics and more animal like qualities to outgroups”. This is odd to think about but when I think about the many wars that have been rooted in religious differences it adds up. ew