Evolutionary Approaches to Intergroup Communication

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinguang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Communication Research ◽  
Communication Accommodation ◽  
Ethnolinguistic Vitality ◽  
Critical Window ◽  
Intergroup Communication ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Members

Intergroup communication concerns the verbal and nonverbal interaction between individuals from different groups. Since about the 1980s, the social identity perspective (including social identity, self-categorization, ethnolinguistic vitality, and communication accommodation theories) has provided much impetus to research on intergroup communication. One way to advance intergroup communication research, then, is to expand the social identity perspective. Evolutionary psychology, a research program firmly rooted in natural selection theory and its modern synthesis, can help achieve this goal. For example, a functional analysis of language acquisition suggests—and research confirms—that language (similar to sex and age but not race) is a dedicated dimension of social categorization. This is first of all because language is localized, with signal regularities (e.g., grammar, syntax) being meaningful only to in-group members. Second, there is a critical window of language acquisition that typically closes at late adolescence, and one can almost never reach native-level proficiency if the person tries to learn a language beyond that window. Thus, two people are very likely to have grown up in the same place if they speak the same language with similar high levels of proficiency. Conversely, the lack of proficiency in speaking a language suggests that one does not have the same childhood experience as others and is thus an out-group member. Because ancestral humans had recurrent exposure to people speaking different languages (or variants of the same language) even given their limited travel ability, language-based categorization appears to be an evolved part of human nature. Evolutionary theories can also help renovate research on ethnolinguistic vitality and (non)accommodation. For example, an analysis of host-parasite coevolution suggests that maintaining and using one’s own language can help reduce the risk of contracting foreign diseases in places with high parasite stress. This is because out-group members are more likely than in-group members to carry diseases that one’s physiological immune system cannot tackle. Intergroup differentiation is thus needed more in places with higher parasite stress, and language (as noted) reliably marks group membership. It thus benefits people living in parasite-laden environments to stick to their own language, which helps them remain close to in-group members and away from out-group members. Research also shows that increases in perceived parasitic threats cause people higher in pathogen disgust sensitivity to perceive speakers with foreign accents as being more dissimilar to self. This enhanced perceived dissimilarity may cause non-accommodation or divergence in intergroup communication, resulting in negative language attitudes and even intergroup conflicts. These and many other areas of research uniquely identified by evolutionary approaches to intergroup communication research await further empirical tests.

Dress Style Code and Fashion

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Keblusek ◽  
Howard Giles
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Intergroup Dynamics ◽  
Communication Accommodation ◽  
Intergroup Communication ◽  
The Social ◽  
Self Discovery ◽  
Body Adornment ◽  
Clothing Choices

Forms of dress, ranging from runway fashions and sports jerseys to traditional cultural apparel and religious garb, are central to contemporary social life and are intimately connected to issues of personal and social identity, communicating to others who we are or who we would like to be. Given this, dress style is a subject worthy of serious scholarly inquiry, particularly within the field of intergroup communication. Dress style—as well as other bodily accoutrements—has received some attention in disciplines across the social sciences, but has received less attention among those studying intergroup relations and communication. Prominent intergroup communication theories, such as social identity, uncertainty identity, and communication accommodation theories, teach us that clothing choices can reflect actual or desired group affiliations, demarcating group boundaries, shaping and reinforcing social identities, and influencing our perceptions of others. Dress style can also stem from a desire to reduce identity uncertainty, serving as a conduit for personal expression and self-discovery. Overall, intergroup dynamics play a prominent role in shaping dress style and body adornment practices across the globe.

scholarly journals In Praise of Irrationality: Self, "East" and "West" in Greek Teachers' Speeches on National Day Commemorations

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucianna Benincasa
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
The West ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Social Creativity ◽  
East And West

In this qualitative study of school discourse on national day commemorations, focus is on the "social creativity strategies" through which group members can improve their social identity. Discourse analysis was carried out on thirty-nine teachers' speeches delivered in Greek schools between 1998 and 2004. The speakers scorn rationality and logic, stereotypically attributed to "the West" (a "West" which is perceived not to include Greece), as cold and not human. The Greeks' successful national struggles are presented instead as the result of irrationality. They claim irrationality to be the most human and thus the most valuable quality, which places Greece first in the world hierarchy. The results are further discussed in terms of their implications for learning and teaching in the classroom, as well as for policy and research.

scholarly journals Adaptation of Sukuma Loanwords in the Western Dialects of Datooga (Taturu) and its Dialectological Implications

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-89
Author(s):  
Amani Lusekelo
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Ethnolinguistic Vitality ◽  
Group Members

Abstract The exchange of linguistic materials between languages which come into contact is indeed reciprocal. The previous accounts of the outcome of contact between Datooga and Sukuma was skewed towards impact of Datooga on Sukuma. Based on ethnolinguistic vitality approach, the Datooga tend to reveal solidarity-related social identity by acquiring their language as a mother tongue. They also reveal prestige-related social identity by acquiring Sukuma language which is the prestigious lingua franca of the Itumba area in Igunga District. Moreover, the Datooga envisaged mechanisms to either isolate out-group members using their ethnonyms. Based on a list of 250 loanwords, this paper highlights the substitutive borrowing of kinship terms and additive borrowing of agricultural terms. The Sukuma loanwords penetrate into the Datooga lexicon.

scholarly journals Collective Autonomy: Why Groups Fight for Power and Status

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Kachanoff ◽  
Kurt Gray ◽  
Richard Koestner ◽  
Nour Kteily ◽  
Michael Jeremy Adam Wohl
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Hierarchy ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Social Hierarchies ◽  
Structural Power ◽  
Privileged Position ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Members

People experience “collective autonomy restriction” when they believe other groups want to restrict their own group from freely expressing its social identity and determining its behavior. We review emerging research on the negative consequences of collective autonomy restriction for well-being, as well as its implications for group members’ motivation to fight for their place within social hierarchies. We propose that group members desire two resources tied to having a favorable position within the social hierarchy – structural power (i.e., the ability to influence and resist influence from other groups) and status (being positively valued and perceived as moral by others) – because they believe that having power and status are necessary to secure their group’s collective autonomy. We hypothesize that group members anticipate that other groups might restrict their group if they lack the structural power to resist outside influences, or if they are perceived as negative or immoral and worthy of restriction. We apply this power and status perspective of collective autonomy restriction to predict (1) when disempowered groups are most likely to fight against (vs. tolerate) their disadvantaged position and (2) when powerful groups are most likely to relinquish power and acknowledge their transgressions (versus defensively maintain their privileged position).

scholarly journals The Relationship of Indonesian Language Learning with the Environment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatik Sri Wahyuni
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
The Social ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Indonesian language learning can be related to the environment, the environment becomes one of the components that influence the learning process. This can be related to language. Language is a communication tool that humans can acquire from birth. Suardi (et al, 2019) said that the mastery of a language by a child begins with the acquisition of the first language which is often called the mother tongue. Dardjowidjojo (in Suardi et al, 2019) says that language acquisition is a language acquisition process that is carried out by children naturally when they learn their mother tongue. The acquisition of the first language is closely related to the social development of children and the formation of social identity. In line with that, Yogatama (in Suardi et al, 2019) says that learning the first language is one of the overall developments of children to become members of asociety.

Differentiation from the ideological out-group as reference for the in-group’s emotions in conflict

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Elad Strenger ◽  
Amit Goldenberg ◽  
Tamar Saguy ◽  
Eran Halperin
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Emotional Response ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Group Norms ◽  
Political Reality ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Social Identity Approach ◽  
Shape Group

How does the competitive relation between ideological groups shape group members’ emotional responses to their shared political reality? Inspired by the social identity approach, we propose that ideological in-group members adjust their emotional responses to political stimuli based on the perceived emotional response of their ideological out-group, accentuating differentiation between the groups. Results of Studies 1 and 2 (pre-registered), conducted in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, indicate that Jewish-Israeli leftists and rightists are more content when their ideological out-group’s emotional response to conflict-related stimuli is consistent (vs. inconsistent) with their in-group norms, yet shift their own emotions away from the presumed emotions of their ideological out-group. This effect was not moderated by participants’ self-reported desire for intergroup distinctiveness, suggesting that re-establishment of intergroup differentiation may occur automatically. Our findings indicate that differentiation from the internal ideological rival serves as reference for individuals’ emotions towards the external rival in conflict.

Learning Who We Are From Our Leaders

2017 ◽  
pp. 586-602
Author(s):  
Michael A. Hogg
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Social Identity Theory ◽  
Identity Theory ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Organizational Leaders ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Or Organization ◽  
Concept Group

A key feature of group and organizational learning is the process through which people learn the group or organization’s distinctive normative characteristics and social identity and therefore who one is and how one should behave as a member of the group or organization. In this chapter I draw on social identity theory and the social identity theory of leadership to argue that people derive an important part of their identity from the groups they belong to, including work groups and organizations. They internalize, through a process of self-categorization, these group normative attributes as self-attributes that prescribe behavior. Because group and organizational norms define and prescribe one’s self-concept, group members are vigilant for reliable information about the group’s norms and identity. They typically look to group and organizational leaders for this information.

Discrimination in Work and Organizations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy DiTomaso
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Evaluation Of Performance ◽  
Implicit Biases ◽  
Discriminatory Behavior ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Work And Organizations ◽  
Job Rewards

Discrimination is behaving differently toward people from different social identity groups, such as those based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, or some other category that is not related to the qualifications, contributions, or performance of the target group members. It is usually thought of as unfair and is often illegal. Discrimination has been the subject of substantial research in the social and behavioral sciences. It can entail acting more favorably toward those who have not earned it or less favorably toward those who have, although most of the research focuses on the negative behavior toward less favored groups rather than on the positive behavior toward more favored groups. Although discrimination can occur in many domains, this paper focuses primarily on discrimination in work and organizations. Research on labor market discrimination spans disciplines with most research being done in economics, sociology, psychology, and law, as well as in business or management. Such research has examined differences in access to jobs or employment including hiring and promotion, job rewards such as income and wages, evaluation of performance, treatment on the job from supervisors and coworkers, and unemployment or underemployment. Discrimination may be explicit or overt, but increasingly research has focused on more subtle forms of discrimination that reflect unconscious or implicit biases. Research also considers perceived discrimination. Research on discrimination has examined trends in discriminatory behavior or outcomes for various groups, comparisons across groups in terms of the extent or experience of discrimination, antecedents and the consequences of discrimination, as well as mediators and moderators of discriminatory behavior. Most research on discrimination has found that those from lower status or subordinate groups within any society are more likely to experience negative discrimination, while dominant group members almost always receive more favorable treatment. Although there are variations in terms of circumstance and context, native-born, heterosexual men from higher social classes and from dominant racial or ethnic groups are disproportionately found in the best jobs, with the most authority, and with the highest incomes, while women, racial or ethnic minorities, immigrants, those from working or lower classes, and those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender are more likely to suffer adverse discrimination. An increasing emphasis on the intersectionality of social identity recognizes that the labor market experiences of particular people reflect the combination of their multiple identities. Discrimination can be interpersonal, intergroup, organizational, and it can be embedded in structures and institutions.

scholarly journals Can moral convictions motivate the advantaged to challenge social inequality?

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 735-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn van Zomeren ◽  
Tom Postmes ◽  
Russell Spears ◽  
Karim Bettache
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Group Efficacy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Identity Model ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Moral Convictions

This article examines whether and how moral convictions, defined as strong and absolute stances on moralized issues, motivate advantaged group members to challenge social inequality. Specifically, we propose that violations of moral convictions against social inequality motivate collective action against it by increasing identification with the victims of social inequality. Such identification links the current work with the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (SIMCA; Van Zomeren, Postmes, & Spears, 2008 , in press ), which predicts that individuals’ motivation to challenge social inequality requires a relevant social identity in which group-based anger and group efficacy beliefs motivate collective action. For the advantaged, moral convictions are therefore powerful motivators of collective action against social inequality. Two studies, conducted in the Netherlands and Hong Kong, replicated empirical support for this line of thought. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings for collective action among the advantaged.

scholarly journals A social identity perspective on the effect of social information on online video enjoyment

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Marthe Möller ◽  
Rinaldo Kühne ◽  
Susanne E. Baumgartner ◽  
Jochen Peter
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Social Information ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Online Video ◽  
User Comments ◽  
The Social ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Group Members

To date, videos are often presented on social media platforms where they are accompanied by social information in the form of user comments. Research suggests that this social information can alter viewers’ video enjoyment. The present study aimed to learn more about two factors that may enhance this effect by conducting a 2x2 between-subjects experiment with a control group (N = 290, Mage = 20.82, SDage = 2.49) in the Netherlands. First, we investigated the role that the source of social information (i.e., in-group vs. out-group) plays in the effect of social information. Second, we explored how writing a comment while watching a video (i.e., commenting vs. no commenting) may alter the effect of the source of social information. Results indicated that social information created by in-group members is more influential than social information created by out-group members. However, writing a comment did not increase viewers’ susceptibility to the effects of social information. These results are discussed in light of the social identity framework, leading to new insights into what may bolster the effect of social information on video enjoyment when individuals watch videos presented on social media.

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