Group Processes

RUPERT BROWN, PHD, is Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Sussex, UK. He is the recipient of the Henri Tajfel medal for lifetime contribution to social psychology, awarded by the European Association of Social Psychology. SAM PEHRSON, PHD, is a Lecturer in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews, UK. He is an Associate Editor of the British Journal of Social Psychology.

• Preface xi1 The Reality of Groups 1Definition 1The Individual–Group Relationship 2The Interpersonal-Group Continuum 4Three Unifying Themes: Social Identity, Social Context and Social Action 6Summary 11Further Reading 12References 122 Group Formation and Other Elementary Group Processes 15Interdependence 15All in the Same Boat: Interdependence of Fate 16Working with Others: Task Interdependence 17Social Categorisation 19From Individuals to a Group: Entitativity 19Us and Them: Intergroup Differentiation and Intragroup Assimilation 22When ‘We’ Deserve More than ‘Them’: Minimal Conditions for Intergroup Discrimination 23Why Do They (and We) Look all the Same? Perceived Intragroup Assimilation (Homogeneity) 26On being Similar or Different but still a Group: Individuality, Interaction, and Entitativity 28Not Only in Our Heads: The Pragmatic and Rhetorical Use of Categories 30Joining and Interacting in Groups: Some Elementary Group Processes 31Joining Groups 31From Getting Together to Sticking Together: Group Cohesion 36What Goes on in Groups? Achieving the Task and Maintaining Relationships 41Summary 42Further Reading 43References 433 Reaching Agreement in Groups 51The Acquisition and Development of Group Norms 51The Acquisition of Group Norms 52Why People need Norms: Individual Functions of Group Norms 53Why Groups need Norms: Social Functions of Norms 55Stability and Change 56The Power of the Majority 58The Pervasiveness of Conformity 59Why do People Conform? 61Standing Out from the Crowd: On being a Deviate 65Going to Extremes: Reaching Decisions in Groups 70Explanations of Group Polarisation 71Concluding Remarks on Group Polarisation 76Summary 77Further Reading 78References 784 Innovation and Change in Groups 85Minority Influence 85Majority–Minority Influence is a Dynamic Process 88Social Categorisation and Minority Influence: Which Group does the Minority Belong to? 91Two Influence Processes or One? 91Concluding Comments 99Leadership 100Coercion and Reward 100Charisma 102Leadership Styles 105Interaction of Leader Style and Situation 106Leaders as Committed Group Members 109Leader Prototypicality 110Serving Group Interests 112‘Entrepreneurs’ and ‘Embedders’ of Identity 113Authority 115Summary 116Further Reading 117References 1175 The Effectiveness of Groups 124Group Productivity 125Does the Presence of Others Help or Hinder Performance? 125Are Two Heads (or Bodies) better than One? 126Potential and Actual Productivity: Theories of Group Deficit 128Two Heads (or Bodies) really can be better than One: The Benefits of Working in Groups 133Group Decision-Making 140Modeling Group Decisions: Social Decision Schemes Theory 140The Quality of Decision-Making Process 142Groups can be Good for You 146Resilience 146Health and Well-being 150Summary 152Further Reading 153Group Productivity 153Group Decision-Making 153Health and Well-being Benefits of Groups 153References 1546 The Morality of Groups 161Are Groups really more Aggressive than Individuals? Collective Aggression and Violence 161Deindividuation 162Experimental Evidence concerning Groups and Antisocial Behaviour 163The Stanford Prison Experiment 166How Group Norms shape the Nature of Crowd Violence 169Identity Transformation and Emergence of Conflict in Crowds 171Online Aggression 172Groups and Helping Behaviour 174The Bystander Effect and its Limits 174Solidarity within the Group 176Helping the Outgroup 182Summary 184Further Reading 185References 1867 Conflict and Inequality 191Intergroup Relations and Real Group Interests 192The Development of an Intergroup Perspective 192The Summer Camp Studies 194Lessons from the Summer Camps 196Extending the Realistic Conflict Approach 197‘Real World’ Evidence 197Stereotypes and Intergroup Relations 198Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Other Emotions 201The Outgroup as Sub-human 203Hierarchy and Oppression 206Divide and Rule 206Consensual Discrimination 207Ambivalent Sexism 208Outgroup Favoritism and System Justification 210Social Dominance Theory 212Social Dominance Orientation 213Evaluating Social Dominance Theory 216Integrating SDO and RWA 218Summary 219Further Reading 220References 2208 Rebellion and Social Change 227Angry Rejection of the Status Quo 228Anger 230Social Identity Theory 235Individual Mobility 236Social Creativity 239Changing the Dimension of Comparison 240Downward Social Comparison 242Redefining the Meaning of the Devalued Attribute 242Social Competition 243Winning the Solidarity of the Advantaged 243Resentment and Backlash 244Experiencing Illegitimate Privilege 246Intergroup Contact and Collective Action 248Consequences of Collective Action 250Summary 252Further Reading 253References 2539 Bringing Groups Together 261Getting to Know You: Intergroup Contact and Prejudice Reduction 262Elaborating the Contact Hypothesis 263How to make Contact Work Better: Decategorisation, Categorisation, or Recategorisation? 263Understanding how Contact Works: The Role of Emotion 268Indirect Forms of Contact: Extended, Vicarious and Imagined 270Intergroup Contact and its Critics 275“From Both Sides Now”: The Importance of both Victim and Perpetrator Emotions 279Group-Based Emotions: Guilt, Shame, Victimhood, and Forgiveness 283Living Together or Living Apart: The Challenges of Diversity and Multi-culturalism 287Acculturation and Well-Being in Minority Groups 288Acculturation and Intergroup Relations 291Summary 294Further Reading 295References 295Name Index 309Subject Index 325