It may be a truism that humans are social beings. It is certainly no longer a truism to say that our thinking
about the world and
people changes when we adopt the perspective (point of view) of a particular social group (category): we
stop looking
at the world from our own individual perspective and start using what is known as collective thinking.
We belong to a specific social category (e.g., we are a woman or a man or a non-binary person, a Polish
citizen or a foreigner
living in Poland, we vote for a particular political party, we occupy
a high or low position in the hierarchy of power and wealth, we share certain beliefs about the world and
related values with some people, we accept certain ideologies). All this has
a significant impact on the perception of ourselves, members of our own group, and “strangers.”
The aim of the lecture is to systematically trace the changes in psychological relations
between the individual and other people that collective thinking leads to.
What cognitive and affective mechanisms are triggered when we start thinking about others/strangers not
from our own individual perspective, but from a collective perspective offered by the group (category) to
which we belong, as well as our position in the power system?
What psychological consequences (for ourselves and others) does entering the path of collective thinking
lead to? These are the questions I will try to answer by referring to contemporary psychology and social
psychology.
What are the psychological consequences (for ourselves and for others) of embarking on the path of
collective thinking? These are the questions I will try to answer by referring to contemporary knowledge in
the field of intergroup psychology
In each of the areas listed below, I focus on the main theoretical ideas.
From the point of view outlined here, I will look at
- Social categorization (the division between us and them) and its consequences.
-Social identity: how it relates
to individual identity, and what are the consequences of activating each of them; what are the consequences
of mature (stable) and narcissistic (defensive) group identification.
- Authoritarianism and orientation on social domination: what are their consequences for intergroup
relations.
- Stereotyping: where do social stereotypes come from, what types are there, how are they related to
categorization processes, and how do they affect the processing of
social information; what role do they play in interpersonal and intergroup relations. What is the danger of
stereotypes and
what are their consequences.
- Prejudices: what is their nature, where do they come from, what are their types and manifestations, how
do they evolve, what factors determine their intensity and persistence, what is the role of psychological
threat in triggering and perpetuating prejudices.
- Dehumanization: what are its manifestations, under what circumstances does it intensify, how can it be
counteracted.
- Conspiracy thinking: - what are its sources and main types of conspiracy theories, what personality and
situational factors (as well as cognitive mechanisms)
determine the acceptance and application of conspiracy beliefs, what human needs do they serve.
- The psychology of power: how the fact of having power (or, conversely, being subject to it) affects our
behavior and emotions (especially in
interpersonal relationships).
- What social psychology says about the possibilities of counteracting the negative consequences of the “us-
them” divide.