The tendency of our species to perceive 'others' in an outgroup as objects, and act toward them on this basis, treating them as things, is critically important as a contributing factor in acts of violence and destruction, where the target of these acts includes members of an outgroup. To paraphrase Jeff Jensen, I am not just 'pulling-this-one-out-of-my-ass' (see Endnote 2); this is a well-established social psychological dynamic (see below....)
Pros and Cons of Social Categorization
Gordon Allport's (1954) seminal research established the adaptive value of categorizing ourself and others into groups; by grouping like/similar individuals into a category, we are able to increase our efficiency in processing information about the complex social world. This efficiency is apparent whenever we see someone who fits one of our preconceived categories and we catch ourselves mentally 'projecting' all sorts of expected traits, preferences, values, behaviors (etc.) onto this person, without even getting to know that person. At the same time, social categorization increases our effectiveness in navigating an uncertain and complex social world, through leveraging these 'projections' about another person, as a working model or theory about the person, thereby providing us with greater predictive power in anticipating what the other person will do and say.
Of course, the problem with all of this is that there is no free lunch, even in the social world; all of this efficiency and effectiveness comes at a potentially steep price, in the form of stereotyping and prejudice. A stereotype "is an individual's set of beliefs about the characteristics or attributes of a group" (Judd & Park, 1993.) These beliefs may or may not turn out to be true. Prejudice involves a positive or negative evaluation of a group and its members (Brewer, 1999). According to research by Elbedour, Bastien, and Center (1997), negative stereotypes and prejudice toward others can be learned at an early age, and these may comprise an important part of one's own social identity (i.e., one's sense of self may, in part, be defined vis-a-vis an ongoing conflict between one's ingroup and an outgroup, as in the case of children born and raised in the Middle East.)
One well-documented aspect of social categorization is ingroup bias, a preference for: (a) trusting and cooperating with one's own group members and (b) mistrusting and competing with outgroup members (Riek, Mania & Gaertner, 2006). A related dynamic is a tendency to view outgroup members as things or objects (Hostager, 1992; Tajfel, 1981; Turner, 1987), accompanied by an increased likelihood of justifying continued or escalating conflict toward the 'objectified/reified/ outgroup members (Elbedour, Bastien & Center, 1997; Gillard, 1999.) One famous historical example is Adolph Hitler's use of a biological metaphor to 'objectify' the Jews as an invasive 'disease' needing to be excised or ablated from the body (see Endnote 3).
Fortunately, it is possible gain a more explicit and comprehensive understanding of how we perceive those who are different from ourselves, through the use of diversity perception inventories (e.g., De Meuse & Hostager, 2002, 2007; Hostager & De Meuse, 2002.) And Muzafer Sherif's famous 'Robbers Cave Experiment' documented the power of employing a shared, superordinate goal, as a means of bridging differences and breaking down harmful ingroup/outgroup dynamics (see Endnote 4.)
Ingroup/Outgroup Dynamics In Lost: Some Lessons For Us All Regarding Threats To, And Opportunities For, Continued Human Existence
In addition to exploring the themes of free will/determinism and natural/supernatural, the Lost producers/writers should be commended for tackling another important universal and archetypal theme underlying human existence: Threats and opportunities associated with ingroup/outgroup dynamics. Ingroup/outgroup dynamics have played an increasingly important role in the series, including the relationships between:
1. The Flight 815 'fuselage' passengers vs. the Flight 815 'tailies'; and
2. The Flight 815 passengers ('fuselage' and 'tailies' alike) vs. The OTHERS.
As we have observed on several occasions throughout the series, there is indeed a significant survival value to be associated with prudent caution in one's initial dealings with outsiders. Perhaps more importantly, we have seen the effects of prior 'conditioning' on subsequent ingroup/outgroup dynamics. In particular, we have seen how the brutal treatment of the Flight 815 'tailies' by the Others conditioned them to be highly suspicious of, and brutal toward, the Flight 815 'fuselagers' (Michael, Sawyer, Jin, in the hands of the 'tailies', led by Ana Lucia.)
While this particular ingroup/outgroup dynamic has undeniable survival value, some disturbing and distressing implications for the survival of the species arise, when the findings of Elbedour, Bastien and Center (1997) are taken into consideration. In brief, their study revealed how negative stereotyping and prejudice among children in the Middle East can become ingrained and highly resistant to change, particularly when a significant portion of the self is derived from one's membership in a group whose core identity is largely defined through its conflicts with another group (Palestinians--Israelis).
So, on the one hand, ingroup/outgroup dynamics can be beneficial in shielding ingroup members (Flight 815 'tailies') against potential threats from outgroup members (the Others). But we have also seen how this prior conditioning can impede the group's ability to perceive 'friendly' outgroup members, as in the case of the initial contact between the Flight 815 'tailies' and 'fuselagers'. Prior ingroup/outgroup experiences accrue and condition group members in predictable ways. The point here is that prior conditioning is a bias that can impede group members' abilities to see if the outsiders really are friendly or hostile; conditioning can actually threaten the group's chances of survival. And when prior conditioning is coupled with the Elbedour, Bastien & Center (1997) findings, we can see how a sustained, growing, accruing history of negative ingroup/outgroup dynamics can produce self-fulfilling cycles of accelerating fear, hatred, violence, and death. THIS is why it is so important to pay attention to the broad themes playing in and through the series, including free will, and beyond!
Of course, it is not so simple as this, after all.... A sustained, growing, accruing history of positive ingroup/outgroup dynamics can produce accelerated cycles of productive cooperation and creative invention, but they can also dull and lull the senses into expecting the best, when quite possibly the worst may be lurking around the corner.... Sometimes prudent caution and wariness are, indeed, warranted.... Case in point.. Sayid brutally interrogating Ben/Henry Gale, in the Swan hatch armory.... And as we all saw, it turned out Sayid was correct, all along.... So what are we to do? Is it better to give the benefit of the doubt to outsiders, or not?
Again, I commend the Lost producers/writers for presenting the myriad, diverse facets of ingroup/outgroup dynamics in such a way that we can see the complexities involved, consider these complexities, discuss them, and arm ourselves with a greater and more sophisticated awareness of this critical Factor to the sustained, continued survival of humanity. So what's the answer? Of course, there is no easy solution. But one important part of an 'answer' is to strive continually, through heightened awareness, to:
1. Leverage the insights from the ingroup/outgroup learning curve we have developed through our direct and vicarious experiences to date, while simultaneously...
2. Remind ourselves to guard against mindlessly falling prey to the inertial effects of prior ingroup/outgroup conditioning, when meeting new people, especially those who are 'outsiders' (i.e., persons not readily fitting into one of the various groups which comprise our multifaceted social identities-- based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, profession, etc.)
(Balancing #1 and #2 is not easy, requiring an awareness of our experience-based ability in sensing and seeing whether the outsider is friend or foe (leveraging our outgroup member perceptual filter), while simultaneously mindful to correct for potential perceptual biases in our perceptual filter, especially due to recent trends.)
3. Remind ourselves about the potential in all of us, to fall prey to the trap of categorizing and perceiving others-- outgroup members-- as objects or things.
4. Look for ways to involve members of diverse groups to engage in positive, productive activities, building a history of working together, in the process. Consider leveraging the proven strategy of focusing the activity on a shared, superordinate goal.
Lost is showing us how it is possible to throw together a wildly diverse set of people-- representing a range of different backgrounds, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, profession, etc.-- and through shared experiences of living and working together on a daily basis, toward some common goals, it is indeed possible to leverage opportunities provided through our differences.... And don't forget that one of the six areas DHARMA was focused on was utopian social....!
The lessons of history are clear.... As a species, we are capable of great works, and destruction. It is much easier for us to participate in the violence and to justify our actions, when we are able to psychologically distance ourselves from the object of that violence and destruction, through viewing the recipients as stereotyped, reified objects.
While the free will/determinism and natural/supernatural themes are important to see in Lost, and to ponder and discuss as a community of fans, the rubber really hits the road when we consider themes associated with ingroup/outgroup dynamics, themes we've witnessed Lost islanders grappling with on the show, themes we have, and will, personally confront in the course of our everyday lives, as we meet new people who are different from ourselves. How will we deal with these encounters? How will the effects of these encounters accumulate and ripple outward? And will we be able to leverage the scientific insights about ingroup/outgroup dynamics, and harness our own growing wisdom about these dynamics, on the larger stage of global relations among nations? To be sure, there are other ways in which the end of the world might come, but one area we must not overlook (and DHARMA must surely have not) is the 'tipping' role that ingroup/outgroup dynamics can play, in determining whether our dealings with diverse others head down a positive or a negative path. This is one of the most important and directly actionable themes expressed on Lost, to date....
ENDNOTES:
(1) Please see Dr. Steve Porter's "guest lecture" segment at the end of Jeff Jensen's column:
Dr. Steve Porter makes some valid points here. We should not allow ourselves to get too caught up in the details that we forget the insights/lessons made available to us on a broader, thematic level, including free will/determinism, and the natural/supernatural. However, we must also be willing to set our egos aside, and guard against the admittedly powerful temptation of honing and using an Occam's Razor which too sharply cuts through the world, severing important insights off from scrutiny, in the process. This is an ongoing battle for all of us, and yes, this includes me! For example, my "Final Solution" page is focused through the lens of on another important Lost theme: good/evil. In retrospect, this page would be strengthened through a more explicit discussion of how free will/determinism fits into the overall argument (as well as the natural/supernatural themes....) This could be done, of course, and I may go back and do that at some point in the coming weeks. (For example, the vicious cycle dynamics of Desmond as Antichrist/Darth Vader connect to the free will/determinism themes in some natural ways....)
In addition to exploring the themes of free will/determinism, natural/supernatural, and good/evil, at least two additional sets of important themes have been integrally woven into the fabric of the show:
1. The Subject/Object Themes, Particularly As Manifest Through Ingroup/Outgroup Dynamics. This is the set of themes I'm addressing on the current page....
2. The Mind/Body/Physical World Themes, Especially The New Insights Regarding Interrelationships Among These Themes, Available Through Scientific Inquiry. This is the set of themes I address on the "Monster Magic" page on this web site (almost completed.. this will be posted soon!). I'll try, as best as humanly possible, to avoid the extremes of: (a) making it all about just electromagnetism, or the science; and (b) dismissing these things altogether, as 'props'. Insights from scientific studies of electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and beyond, are impacting how we conceive-- and act with respect to-- such important themes as free will/determinism, natural/supernatural, subject/object (Heisenberg, anyone?), etc.
Let us not be so quick to take "the emphasis off trying to figure out what the picture is," for the very act of us trying to figure this picture out is an exercise of our own free will, attempting to discern what Lost is about and how the show will conclude. By so doing, we are freely and willingingly enacting some of the very same dynamics-- lounging on our sofas or hunched over our computer screens-- which we are so feverishly and fervently observing in the show. On this meta-level, we can see that through observing and analyzing the dynamics on the island, we are also observing and analyzing ourselves and others in the real world. Indeed, we are caught in a classic 'double-bind' situation, feeling compelled to engage in the task of solving the detailed picture of the mystery which Lost producers/writers are unfolding before our very eyes, on a week-to-week basis, but simultaneously aware that this is most likely an 'impossible' task, since even if through happenstance we did paint the picture and predict the show's ending, the Lost producers/writers could easily change the picture and the ending, within certain limits (consistency with previous episodes, etc.) (Note: Please see the last segment of the Home page, for more information on 'double-bind' theory).
Of course, one way out of the double-bind is to abandon our attempt to figure out what the picture is, and enjoy the intriguing and manifold ways in which the central themes of the show are being played out, from week-to-week. But this overlooks the deeper truth, that through our acts of trying to figure the picture out, we are individually and collectively enacting our own explorations of the show's themes, writ large on the stages of our lives. We are striving to define and explain a fictional world, presented to us in incomplete bits and pieces, which we perceive through inherently incomplete (selective) sensory apparati, and understand through the flawed lenses of our knowledge, experiences, and biases. And this is a good thing to do, since it keeps us alive, vibrant, and vital as an inquiring and caring species. In this, and other things, rests the fate of humanity.... Our exercise of free will, to scrutinize ourselves, others, the world around us, and how these things are interrelated in some strange, weird, seemingly magical, yet important, ways.... We are indeed all "Lost" in various ways, and engaged in an ongoing process of 'finding' ourselves, and it is through this shared process of engaging each other in a community of inquiry, that we may find common ground, generate new insights, and 'find' each other, for the good of all humanity....
(2) Please see Jeff Jensen's excellent column examining a range of Desmond theories:
Please see the Final Solutions page on this web site, for my theory that Desmond is an Antichrist/Darth Vader composite.
(3) Please see the following, for more information on Hitler's use of the biological metaphor:
(4) Please see the following, for more information on Sherif's famous 'Robbers Cave Experiment':
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