Reducing Youth In-Group Favoritism to Address Social Injustice

Abstract

Social injustices toward minority groups are pervasive around the world, and further exacerbated by global threats such as COVID-19 and climate change. Prosocial tendencies, such as empathy, moral reasoning, and helping behaviors directed only toward members of one's own social groups, discriminate against outgroups, and can perpetuate an unjust status quo. Yet, recent meta-analyses point to effective intervention programs that can foster prosocial responses across group lines. Developmental science has identified evidence-based interventions, policies, and programs to foster inclusive prosocial tendencies (toward both in-group and out-group members) to redress social injustices and inequities, and ultimately, lead to more just and peaceful societies. The recent developmental science informs five policy principles (e.g., developmental science, resilience, culture, collaboration, and sustainability) that can advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around inclusion and peace.

Inequality, Diversity, Institutions and Social Cohesion: Unveiling the Importance of Access to Opportunities

“…One strand of literature posits that ethnolinguistic heterogeneity contributes to the erosion of social cohesion (Mansoury Babhoutak et al, 2023). This perspective argues that diverse societies experience lower levels of mutual cooperation, interpersonal trust, and intergroup harmony, as individuals tend to trust and feel more comfortable interacting with those from their own ethnic or cultural backgrounds, who share their values and speak a common language (Carlo et al, 2022). Proponents of this thesis suggest that the rise of ethnolinguistic diversity in a society heightens the chance of hostility, concurrently rendering it di cult to foster reciprocity and trust (Kazmierski et al, 2023).…”