1 Ethnocentrism

Sumner (1906)

Probably the first theory into intergroup attitudes is Sumner’s (1906) theory of ethnocentrism. Simply put, Sumner theorized that when a person identifies with their ingroup they place the ingroup as superior to outgroups. Ethnocentrism not only predicts a feeling of superiority within one’s ingroup, but the ingroup’s orientation towards outgroups is characterized by hatred and contempt. Sumner’s ideas are neatly illustrated in this quote, “Each group nourishes its own pride and vanity, boasts itself superior, exalts its own divinities and looks with contempt on outsiders” (Sumner, 1906, p. 13)*. Sumner believed that groups (e.g., ingroups) only really mattered in contexts of conflict. However, reading Sumner’s writings, he thought people were constantly in some state of conflict, and so group identification was constantly necessary. Ethnocentrism proposes that all ingroups have their own customs which they believe to be the correct customs and that other groups’ customs are wrong (we’ll be revisiting this assumption several times throughout this course). Simply put, Sumner believed that ingroup love equated to outgroup hate.

Sumner’s ideas enjoy an ambiguous space in contemporary social psychology. Many social psychologists mention Sumner’s theory of ethnocentrism more for its historical purpose rather than its scientific applicability. Yet, research into intergroup relations is often framed in ethnocentric terms (i.e., that ingroup love = outgroup hate; Brewer, 1999; Hewstone, Rubin, and Willis, 2002). What do other theories have to say about the relationship between ingroup identity and outgroup attitudes?

* This quote places ethnocentrism as a kind of group-based narcissism. For an argument that this is the case, see Bizumic, and Duckitt (2008).