Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

arrow_back_ios_new
MENTAL MODEL · M4327

Common Ingroup Identity

Common Ingroup Identity
BehaviorHigh supportSocial Psychology
Included
account_tree

Updated 2026-08-01

Loading revision record…

INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Proposed by Samuel Gaertner and colleagues as an extension of social identity theory. The model holds that when members of separate groups come to see themselves as part of one inclusive superordinate group, ingroup favoritism extends to former outsiders and bias declines. Recategorization can work through a shared group name, common goals, or shared fate. It is contrasted with approaches that keep subgroup identities salient while promoting cross-group friendship.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Find the superordinate: name the larger group both sides already belong to, such as the same project - Share a goal: create an outcome that neither side can reach alone - Watch for backlash: check whether the merged identity is being experienced as erasure of the subgroup

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Bias follows the boundary of the group you belong to rather than the traits of the other side. Moving that boundary outward reclassifies former outsiders as ingroup members, so the favoritism already reserved for your own group now applies to them. The mechanism requires that the new category be genuinely adopted rather than merely announced by management.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/1

Practice this model in one real situation:

Check to track your progress (stored locally)
Learning progress0%
account_treeGenealogyexpand_more
menu_bookReferencesexpand_more

Source support: Explicit

  • link
    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_ingroup_identityZH · Explicit
    verified

RELATED MODELS

Related model

Johari Window

Proposed by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, it divides information in interpersonal interactions into four areas: Open Area (known to self/known to others), Blind Spot (unknown to self/known to others), Hidden Area (known to self/unknown to others), and Unknown Area (unknown to self/unknown to others).

arrow_forwardRelated model

Green Beard Effect

A thought experiment proposed by Richard Dawkins, referring to a gene that can produce three effects: 1. Produces a recognizable tag (such as a green beard)

arrow_forwardRelated model

Sayre's Law

Sayre’s law is a satirical adage about emotional intensity being disproportionate to the stakes, sometimes especially over small matters.

arrow_forward