Editing Group dynamics (section)

===Intergroup conflict===
According to [[social identity theory]], intergroup conflict starts with a process of comparison between individuals in one group (the ingroup) to those of another group (the outgroup).<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Turner | first1 = J. C. | doi = 10.1002/ejsp.2420050102 | title = Social comparison and social identity: Some prospects for intergroup behaviour | journal = European Journal of Social Psychology | volume = 5 | pages = 1–34 | year = 1975 | doi-access = free }}</ref> This comparison process is not unbiased and objective. Instead, it is a mechanism for enhancing one's self-esteem.<ref name=HoggW/> In the process of such comparisons, an individual tends to:

* [[ingroup favoritism|favour the ingroup]] over the outgroup
* exaggerate and overgeneralize the differences between the ingroup and the outgroup (to enhance group distinctiveness)
* minimize the perception of differences between ingroup members
* remember more detailed and positive information about the ingroup, and more negative information about the outgroup<ref name=Gaertner>{{Cite journal | last1 = Gaertner | first1 = S. L. |author2-link=John Dovidio | last2 = Dovidio | first2 = J. F. | last3 = Banker | first3 = B. S. | last4 = Houlette | first4 = M. | last5 = Johnson | first5 = K. M. | last6 = McGlynn | first6 = E. A. | doi = 10.1037/1089-2699.4.1.98 | title = Reducing intergroup conflict: From superordinate goals to decategorization, recategorization, and mutual differentiation | journal = Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice | volume = 4 | pages = 98–114 | year = 2000 }}</ref>

Even without any [[Intergroup relations|intergroup interaction]] (as in the [[minimal group paradigm]]), individuals begin to show favouritism towards their own group, and negative reactions towards the outgroup.<ref name=Gaertner/> This conflict can result in prejudice, [[stereotypes]], and [[discrimination]]. Intergroup conflict can be highly competitive, especially for social groups with a long history of conflict (for example, the 1994 [[Rwandan genocide]], rooted in group conflict between the ethnic Hutu and Tutsi).<ref name=HoggW/> In contrast, intergroup competition can sometimes be relatively harmless, particularly in situations where there is little history of conflict (for example, between students of different universities) leading to relatively harmless generalizations and mild competitive behaviours.<ref name=HoggW/> Intergroup conflict is commonly recognized amidst racial, ethnic, religious, and political groups.

The formation of intergroup conflict was investigated in a popular series of studies by [[Muzafer Sherif]] and colleagues in 1961, called the [[Robbers Cave Experiment]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Sherif | first = Muzafer | title = The Robbers Cave Experiment | publisher = Wesleyan University Press | location = Middletown | year = 1988 | isbn = 978-0-8195-6194-7 }}</ref> The Robbers Cave Experiment was later used to support [[realistic conflict theory]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Levine | first = Robert | title = Ethnocentrism: Theories of Conflict, Ethnic Attitudes, and Group Behavior | publisher = Wiley | location = New York | year = 1971 | isbn = 978-0-471-53117-3 }}</ref> Other prominent theories relating to intergroup conflict include [[social dominance theory]], and social-/[[self-categorization theory]].