ABSTRACT
The social-psychological study of group processesevolved mainly from two longstanding traditions, the small group approach (e.g., Cartwright & Zander, 1968; Forsyth, 1990; Shaw, 1976) and the social identification approach, including social identity theory (Tajfel, 1978) and self-categorization theory (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, & Wetherell, 1987). However, the two approaches differ both in their scope and in their assumptions about the functions and the processes involved in group members’ perceptions of their groups and of other members. The small group approach focuses on dynamic groups (Wilder & Simon, 1998)—that is, groups whose membership relies on interpersonal similarity, interdependence, and face-to-face interaction (cf. Lott & Lott, 1965; Shaw, 1976). Research driven by this approach has explored in detail the functions and antecedents of hostile reactions of members of small groups to deviants, but it typically has neglected the broader context of intergroup relations in which these reactions take place. In turn, the social identification approach has traditionally focused on categorical, as opposed to dynamic, groups (Wilder & Simon, 1998). Social identity research has centered on intergroup relations and typically neglected how social categories deal with emerging deviance.
