PLS 160 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Nationstates, Ingroups And Outgroups, Social Forces
Document Summary
World politics is a out relations between different groups. We have to start with humans forming groups. People form groups to meet physiological and psychological needs; such as the need for comfort and security. Groups give people a sense of identity, and those who are outside of the group are viewed differently, sometimes as a threat. In-group (us): the group and individual belongs to / identifies with. Out-group (them): everyone else; these are the people who are different from an individuals in-group; may be perceived as a threat. Groups can be differentiated based on things like religion, ideology, and historical experiences, language, and location. Nation: people who feel themselves part of some larger identity group. A nation can exist without a state (i. e. kurds in iraq) Nationalism: a complex set of psychological, cultural, and social forces that drive the formation of a nation.
