Including, Excluding…Annihilating. (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sonpar, Shobna
• Other Names: Thapa Komilla guest-editor.; Kumar Rashmi guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Psychology and developing societies. Volume 27:Number 2(2015:Sep.)
• Page Start: 174
• Page End: 188
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: Inclusion -- exclusion -- inter-group relations -- annihilation -- fault lines; Psychology -- Periodicals; Developing countries -- Social conditions -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 150.9172405
• DOI: 10.1177/0971333615592996
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0971-3336

Abstract

The article adopts a psychosocial perspective to explore social inclusion–exclusion in the context of inter-group relations. It is framed in terms of the five-step social identity model of the development of collective hate described by Reicher et al. (2008). A central idea is that of a tension between inclusion and exclusion that may sometimes be in comfortable balance but is always vulnerable to disturbance. This vulnerability may lie in existing fault lines that are quiescent for the moment or due to external factors impinging on the balance in significant ways. Once the movement towards exclusion is initiated, other factors may come into play such as threat perception and the righteous self-aggrandisement of the in-group propelling it towards murderous hate.