In sociology and social psychology, an in-group is a social group to which a person psychologically identifies as being a member. By contrast, an out-group is a social group with which an individual does not identify.

What is an in-group in sociology?

Sociologist William Sumner (1840–1910) developed the concepts of in-group and out-group to explain this phenomenon (Sumner 1906). In short, an in-group is the group that an individual feels she belongs to, and she believes it to be an integral part of who she is.

What is an example of ingroup?

Ingroup refers to the group you belong to and identify with when your group is interacting with another group. For example, when two rival sports teams face off in a game, the team you support is the ingroup, while the other team is the outgroup.