In an Us vs. Them Situation, What Happens When Them Is Us?

"I've long been an avid reader of all things related to the American Revolution. It is an endless, fascinating drama full of pain, betrayal, violence, hardship, alliances, and the victory of right and justice of an unlikely group of rebels over a tyrannical king and the world's most powerful empire. This month (November 2025), the famous documentary maker Ken Burns will debut his take on the American Revolution in a six-part series that is highly anticipated by history fans like yours truly."

"This reminded me of the 250 th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year, and something I have wondered (and I am sure I am not the only one) many times over the last 25 years: What would the founders think about the current state of American society, and its extremely divisive, antagonistic politics? Let's come back to that in a moment."

"The name of this blog is "Us and Them" to denote the idea that its focus would be on all forms of prejudice and stereotyping (since that is my research focus). In fact, research on something called "minimal groups" (whereby membership in each group is randomly assigned on arbitrary bases, such as "you are group A," and to another person, "you are group B") shows that people prefer those in their own groups over those in the other group."

An enduring fascination with the American Revolution highlights its drama: pain, betrayal, violence, hardship, alliances, and a rebel victory against a tyrannical king and powerful empire. A major documentary release and the approaching 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence prompt questions about how the founders would view contemporary American society and highly divisive politics. The blog title 'Us and Them' focuses on prejudice and stereotyping. Minimal group research shows arbitrary group assignments produce ingroup preference even when groups are objectively identical. National-level 'us vs. them' feelings can intensify, yet diplomatic ties, treaties, commerce, and alliances can help overcome cross-national prejudices when governments cooperate.

Read at Psychology Today