The Field of Social Psychology: Robbers Cave Experiment

This study provides interesting information about group dynamics and also human nature. The overwhelming result of the study was that people have a powerful desire to be a part of a group, and also have their group be better than other groups. The study was carried out by Muzafer Sherif and took place three times, each with different results. The study consists of two groups of 11-year-old boys taken to a summer camp. The two groups were kept separate from each other and given their own group names and time to bond with their teammates. When they were brought together, experimenters tried to instigate conflict by offering a series of competitions. As the experimenters expected, the groups turned on one another and went as far as not even eating in the same room as the other team. Then, the experimenters introduced a few issues, including saying that the drinking water had been contaminated by vandals. These issues were for the purpose of examining whether or not they would make up with each other and fix the problems. This is the point in the study where the results began to differ...

In experiment one, the two groups joined together against a common enemy.

In experiment two, they joined up against the experimenters themselves.

In experiment three, they made peace with each other.

Although the three tries of the experiment had vastly different findings, all showed how people have a need to be a part of a group, and also that they want their group to be the best. Psychologists say that we identify ourselves by the groups that we put ourselves into, so it is natural that people would want their group to be the best. A group does not like to be weaker than another, which is what this study proved. There are many ways to go about gaining the same power as another group, hence the three different results.

This study reminded me of the experiment where five monkeys were put into a room with a ladder ascending to a ripe banana with a spray bottle pointed at it. When a monkey went for the banana, it got sprayed. When a new monkey was introduced and one removed, the remaining monkeys beat the new monkey for trying to get the banana. Eventually all the monkeys were replaced and the beatings continued. All of these new monkeys did not know why they were beating up the other monkeys, but it continued because none of the monkeys wanted to go against the group behavior because then they would be weak and vulnerable.

When people are a part of a group, it is a dangerous thing. One group will always emerge as more powerful, and the other will then somehow combat this, fairly or not.