Ethnocentrism and globalization

Abstract

The concept of ethnocentrism is an old idea that was originally developed by. He argued that people have a natural tendency to believe in the intrinsic superiority of their nation, culture, or any other group to which they belong while simultaneously exhibiting feelings of dislike toward those who reside outside such “in‐groups.” This conceptualization of ethnocentrism has become an important analytical framework in the field of social psychology. Social identity theory, for example, which was developed by Tajfel and his colleagues, contends that individuals derive comfort, security, and positive self‐esteem from their in‐group and, therefore, seek to protect or enhance it while alienating out‐groups Along with these efforts to theorize about the notion of ethnocentrism, a large number of other studies have applied the concept of ethnocentrism to a variety of specific issues, including nationalism, attitudes toward policy, political tolerance, and consumer behavior. Thus, ethnocentrism has served as an essential analytical framework through which one can understand human behavior in group settings.