Intergroup relations

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Intergroup relations refers to interactions between individuals in different groups, and to interactions taking place between the groups themselves collectively. It has long been a subject of research in organizational theory and social psychology.^[1][2]

History

The social psychologist Gordon Allport is generally considered to have pioneered research on intergroup relations. Especially influential has been Allport's 1954 book The Nature of Prejudice, which has provided a foundation for research in the area since the mid-1950s.^[1] Another influential researcher on intergroup relations was Muzafer Sherif, who performed multiple notable experiments on the subject in the mid-20th century; these experiments formed the basis for his realistic conflict theory.^[3] In 1966, Sherif proposed a now-widely recognized definition of intergroup relations: "Whenever individuals belonging to one group interact, collectively or individually, with another group or its members in terms of their group identification, we have an instance of intergroup behavior".^[4]

References