Group Identity And Social Development

Social development is guided by theoretical views of qualities and influences that are important to healthy growth *cite textbook. There are many aspects that influence a human’s development. When viewing an individual’s social development, it is important to note that their development starts from birth. Prosocial behaviour, self-identity, and group identity are some aspects of social development. These aspects will be defined and further examined throughout this text to see the importance they each have on an individual’s social development as well as their relation and influence on one another.
The first aspect of social development that will be examined is prosocial behaviour. Prosocial behaviour can be defined as helping, sharing, showing …show more content…
Group identity can be defined as how an individual defines themselves as a member of a social group (site). When examining group identity, it can be broken down in three ways. First, group identity is a relational term, defining who one is as a function of their similarities and differences with others. Second, group identity is shared with others and provides a basis for shared social action. Third, the meanings associated with any group identity are products of one’s collective history and present (cite). This being said group identity is something that gives an individual a sense of belonging to the social world. Group identity is important because it allows an individual to identify with a group or discriminate against one. These groups are often referred as the in-group or out-group. (simply psychology). Being a part of a group allows an individual to increase their self-image. Through human development, it is important for an individual to have a positive …show more content…
As mentioned previously, an individual view themselves in an in-group or out-group. One of the most common prosocial behaviour that is affected by group identity is known as the bystander effect. The bystander effect is the tendency for people to become less likely to assist a person in distress when there are other people around. The most common reasons for an individual to avoid being involved include, diffusion of responsibility, how other people are responding, and the fear of being judged by other members of the group (cite). Therefore, prosocial behaviour and group identity are two aspects of social development that influence to each