No. 81 · People · Sociology
In-Group Favouritism
We give more trust, help and reward to people we see as our own, even when the group means nothing.
In the Almanac
“Klee or Kandinsky”, 1970–1971 · “Riot Games”, 2018–2021
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
Get the AlmanacListen · Watch
Questions
What is In-Group Favouritism?
In-group favoritism is our tendency to give more trust, help and rewards to people we see as one of us. Henri Tajfel showed it appears even when groups are based on something trivial, like a preference for one painter over another.
How do you use In-Group Favouritism?
To counter it, use structured, blind or independent scoring for hiring and promotions, build shared goals that bring groups together, and test your judgments by asking how you would react if a rival did the same thing.
When does In-Group Favouritism matter?
In-Group Favouritism is one of the 60 mental models for people, the situations where you ask: Why do people act as they do, and how do I work with them? Within that, it belongs to “How we judge others”, alongside False Consensus Effect, Fundamental Attribution Error and Halo Effect.
What is an example of In-Group Favouritism?
Two stories show it at work: Klee or Kandinsky (1970–1971) and Riot Games (2018–2021). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to In-Group Favouritism?
Out-Group Bias, Groupthink and Echo Chambers. In-Group Favouritism itself comes from sociology.