A person’s social world consists of social categories (social identification), with membership in different categories simultaneously. Members of a group are perceived as more similar than they really are and the members of other groups as more different than they really are (social differentiation). Social identification leads to social comparison, enhancing the importance of group memberships. One basic distinction is between the in-group and out-groups where in-group favouritism leads to discrimination against an out-group. Social identity theory describes how group membership shapes identities. Perception of being in a group, along with mutual interaction and influence, ongoing and relatively stable relationships, and shared goals are among the defining characteristics of groups. The group decision polarization effect has been explained in terms of social comparison, persuasive argumentation, social identification and following a decision rule such as ‘the majority rules’. Leadership has been explained in terms of the traits of the leader, characteristics of the situation, and the interaction of leader and group characteristics. Fiedler’s contingency model of leadership effectiveness relates the characteristics of the group to task-oriented and relationship-oriented leadership styles. Leaders described as transformational or ‘charismatic’ tend to be self-confident, dominant and with strong convictions. Considerations of both gender and culture are very important to an understanding of leadership.

KEYWORDS: charismatic leader, Fiedler contingency model, group decision polarization effect, in-group favouritism, leadership, social categories, social comparison, social differentiation, social identity theory.

1. Our social behaviour depends both on our individual characteristics and our social categories.

2. A generic norm of out-group discrimination is when we reject all out-groups when it is in our best self-interest.

3. Crossing social categories can reduce social differentiation and in-group/out-group discrimination.

4. Group cohesiveness tends to increase when there is external threat or competition.

5. Group decisions are almost always more risky than the decisions that individuals would make.

6. The power of a professor, which derives from that role, is called legitimate power.

7. There may be more than one leader in a group, one tending to the task and another to socio­emotional problems.

8. The person who directs a group is always the leader.

9. Leaders tend to be relatively intelligent, self-confident and tall.

10. An important characteristic of powerful, ‘charismatic’ leaders is that they set transcendent goals for the group.

1. T

2. F

3. T

4 T

5. F

6. T

7. T

8. F

9. T

10. T

MCQ's for Chapter 12

1. How is our behaviour influenced by a generic norm?

2. What are the effects of cross-categorization on social interaction?

3. What are the defining characteristics of a group?

4. What is the ‘risky shift’ and how is it explained?

5. Evaluate the ‘great person’ theory of leadership.

6. What are the characteristics of ‘charismatic’ leadership?

7. How is language related to group identity?

8. What are some of the obstacles women face when becoming leaders of mixed gender groups?

9. How does knowledge of the issues of in-group/out-group help explain our relationships with others?

10. Discuss a study, which illustrates the notion of redefinition of the social field. Why do we do this? 

1. Describe six bases of social power.

2. Outline Fiedler’s contingency model of leadership. Explain what makes it a ‘contingent’ model.

3. Outline social identity theory.

4. What is the ‘risky shift’? How did it become understood as a group-induced polarization effect?