How we think about one another: In-group (us) versus out-group (them), and how insights from neuroscience can deepen our understanding and actions at work

du Buisson-Narsai, Ingra

doi:10.4102/jan.v4i1.21

Editorial (Vol. 4(1)) 2025

How we think about one another: In-group (us) versus out-group (them), and how insights from neuroscience can deepen our understanding and actions at work

Journal of Applied Neurosciences

33 References Full access PDF

Abstract

This editorial examines social cognition at work: why people form in-group (us) and out-group (them) biases, consciously or implicitly. Drawing on research at the meeting point of psychology and neuroscience, and on the African philosophy of Ubuntu, it explains how these mental shortcuts work and why they exist, and discusses how they can be changed to build greater social cohesion in teams and organisations.

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How we think about one another: In-group (us) versus out-group (them), and how insights from neuroscience can deepen our understanding and actions at work

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Journal of Applied Neurosciences

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English

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30 Nov 2025

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10 Nov 2026

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Journal of Applied Neurosciences

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African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd

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2959-5118

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2958-0951

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4 (1)

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a21

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2025

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Life Sciences

Neuroscience

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10.4102/jan.v4i1.21

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References 33

Allport, G.W., Clark, K., & Pettigrew, T. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Addison-Wesley.
Ames, D.L., Jenkins, A.C., Banaji, M.R., & Mitchell, J.P. (2008). Taking another person’s perspective increases self-referential neural processing. Psychological Science, 19(7), 642–644. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02135.x
Bressler, S.L., & Menon, V. (2010). Large-scale brain networks in cognition: Emerging methods and principles. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(6), 277–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.04.004
Cacioppo, J.T. (2002). Social neuroscience: Understanding the pieces fosters understanding the whole and vice versa. American Psychologist, 57(11), 819. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.11.819
Cherry, F. (2000). The nature of the nature of prejudice. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 36(4), 489–498. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6696(200023)36:4<489::AID-JHBS13>3.0.CO;2-N
Davaei, M., & Gunkel, M. (2024). The role of intelligences in teams: A systematic literature review. Review of Managerial Science, 18, 259–297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-023-00672-7
Donaldson, S.I., Villalobos, J.P., & Cho, M. (2025). Following the science to understand how to reduce prejudice and its harmful consequences: A guide for evaluators and program planners. Evaluation and Program Planning, 110(April 2024), 102556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2025.102556
Doyle, G., Goldberg, A., Srivastava, S., & Frank, M. (2017). Alignment at Work: Using Language to Distinguish the Internalization and Self-Regulation Components of Cultural Fit in Organizations. In Proceedings of the 55th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (Volume 1: Long Papers), Vancouver, Canada (pp. 603–612). Association for Computational Linguistics.
Du Buisson-Narsai, I. (2023). Conceptualising neuroscience-based leadership behaviour. Doctoral thesis, Canterbury Christ Church University. Retrieved from https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/download/5d8a4d68f87a4b0c9f1310da9a0ac7d23e0cb15c7e524edd838e09fc9e3d2c3e/8265035/2023%20PHD%20%20%2B%20Thesis%20%2BFinal%20Manuscript%20%2B%208%20Dec%20%2Bfinal%20%202024.pdf
Dunbar, R.I.M. (2012). The social brain meets neuroimaging. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(2), 101–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2011.11.013
Fiske, S.T.T., & Taylor, S.E. (2021). Social cognition: From brains to culture. A. Maher (Ed.) (4th ed.). Sage.
Gaertner, S.L., & Dovidio, J.F. (2014). Reducing intergroup bias: The common ingroup identity model. Psychology Press.
Geldenhuys, D.J. (2020). Valuing and adapting appreciative inquiry to enhance well-being using a neuropsychotherapeutic framework. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 46, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v46i0.1823
Geldenhuys, D.J. (2022). A conceptual analysis of the use of systems – Psychodynamics as an organisation development intervention: A neuroscientific perspective systems-psychodynamics research design. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 48, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v48i0.1940
Grawe, K. (2007). Review of neuropsychotherapy: How the neurosciences inform effective psychotherapy and neuropsychotherapie (Neuropsychotherapy). Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 44(1), 118–120. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-3204.44.1.118
Henson, C., & Rossouw, P. (2013). Brainwise leadership. Learning Quest.
Hölzel, B.K., Lazar, S.W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D.R., & Ott, U. (2011). How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(6), 537–559. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691611419671
Kandel, E.R., Schwartz, J.M., & Jessell, T.M. (2013). Principles of neural science (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Lebrecht, S., Pierce, L.J., Tarr, M.J., & Tanaka, J.W. (2009). Perceptual other-race training reduces implicit racial bias. PLoS One, 4(1), e4215. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004215
Lieberman, M.D. (2007). Social Cognitive Neuroscience: A Review of Core Processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 58(1), 259–289. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085654
Lieberman, M.D. (2013). Social: Why our brains are wired to connect. OUP Oxford.
Merritt, C.C., Maccormack, J.K., Stein, A.G., Lindquist, K.A., & Muscatell, K.A. (2021). The neural underpinnings of intergroup social cognition: An fMRI meta-analysis. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 16(9), 903–914. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsab034
Phelps, E.A., O’Connor, K.J., Cunningham, W.A., Funayama, E.S., Gatenby, J.C., Gore, J.C., & Banaji, M.R. (2000). Performance on indirect measures of race evaluation predicts amygdala activation. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 12(5), 729–738. https://doi.org/10.1162/089892900562552
Richeson, J.A., & Shelton, J.N. (2003). When prejudice does not pay: Effects of interracial contact on executive function. Psychological Science, 14(3), 287–290. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.03437
Rossouw, J.G., & Rossouw, P.J. (2017). Executive resilience: Neuroscience for the business of disruption (1st edn.). Driven Books.
Sapolsky, R.M. (2017). Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst. Penguin.
Sherman, S.M., Cheng, Y.-P., Fingerman, K.L., & Schnyer, D.M. (2016). Social support, stress and the aging brain. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 11(7), 1050–1058. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv071
Singer, T., Seymour, B., O’doherty, J., Kaube, H., Dolan, R.J., & Frith, C.D. (2004). Empathy for pain involves the affective but not sensory components of pain. Science, 303(5661), 1157–1162. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1093535
Sporns, O. (2013). Structure and function of complex brain networks. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 15(3), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40308-8_2
Spunt, R.P., Meyer, M.L., & Lieberman, M.D. (2015). The default mode of human brain function primes the intentional stance. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 27(6), 1116–1124. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00785
Stout-Rostron, S. (2019). Transformational coaching to lead culturally diverse teams. Routledge.
Todd, A.R., & Galinsky, A.D. (2014). Perspective-taking as a strategy for improving intergroup relations: Evidence, mechanisms, and qualifications. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8(7), 374–387.
Van Bavel, J.J., Packer, D.J., & Cunningham, W.A. (2008). The Nnural substrates of in-group bias: A functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation. Psychological Science, 19(11), 9.

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[1] Allport, G.W., Clark, K., & Pettigrew, T. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Addison-Wesley.

[2] Ames, D.L., Jenkins, A.C., Banaji, M.R., & Mitchell, J.P. (2008). Taking another person’s perspective increases self-referential neural processing. Psychological Science, 19(7), 642–644. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02135.x

[3] Bressler, S.L., & Menon, V. (2010). Large-scale brain networks in cognition: Emerging methods and principles. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(6), 277–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.04.004

[4] Cacioppo, J.T. (2002). Social neuroscience: Understanding the pieces fosters understanding the whole and vice versa. American Psychologist, 57(11), 819. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.11.819

[5] Cherry, F. (2000). The nature of the nature of prejudice. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 36(4), 489–498. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6696(200023)36:4<489::AID-JHBS13>3.0.CO;2-N

[6] Davaei, M., & Gunkel, M. (2024). The role of intelligences in teams: A systematic literature review. Review of Managerial Science, 18, 259–297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-023-00672-7

[7] Donaldson, S.I., Villalobos, J.P., & Cho, M. (2025). Following the science to understand how to reduce prejudice and its harmful consequences: A guide for evaluators and program planners. Evaluation and Program Planning, 110(April 2024), 102556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2025.102556

[8] Doyle, G., Goldberg, A., Srivastava, S., & Frank, M. (2017). Alignment at Work: Using Language to Distinguish the Internalization and Self-Regulation Components of Cultural Fit in Organizations. In Proceedings of the 55th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (Volume 1: Long Papers), Vancouver, Canada (pp. 603–612). Association for Computational Linguistics.

[9] Du Buisson-Narsai, I. (2023). Conceptualising neuroscience-based leadership behaviour. Doctoral thesis, Canterbury Christ Church University. Retrieved from https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/download/5d8a4d68f87a4b0c9f1310da9a0ac7d23e0cb15c7e524edd838e09fc9e3d2c3e/8265035/2023%20PHD%20%20%2B%20Thesis%20%2BFinal%20Manuscript%20%2B%208%20Dec%20%2Bfinal%20%202024.pdf

[10] Dunbar, R.I.M. (2012). The social brain meets neuroimaging. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(2), 101–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2011.11.013

[11] Fiske, S.T.T., & Taylor, S.E. (2021). Social cognition: From brains to culture. A. Maher (Ed.) (4th ed.). Sage.

[12] Gaertner, S.L., & Dovidio, J.F. (2014). Reducing intergroup bias: The common ingroup identity model. Psychology Press.

[13] Geldenhuys, D.J. (2020). Valuing and adapting appreciative inquiry to enhance well-being using a neuropsychotherapeutic framework. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 46, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v46i0.1823

[14] Geldenhuys, D.J. (2022). A conceptual analysis of the use of systems – Psychodynamics as an organisation development intervention: A neuroscientific perspective systems-psychodynamics research design. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 48, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v48i0.1940

[15] Grawe, K. (2007). Review of neuropsychotherapy: How the neurosciences inform effective psychotherapy and neuropsychotherapie (Neuropsychotherapy). Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 44(1), 118–120. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-3204.44.1.118

[16] Henson, C., & Rossouw, P. (2013). Brainwise leadership. Learning Quest.

[17] Hölzel, B.K., Lazar, S.W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D.R., & Ott, U. (2011). How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(6), 537–559. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691611419671

[18] Kandel, E.R., Schwartz, J.M., & Jessell, T.M. (2013). Principles of neural science (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

[19] Lebrecht, S., Pierce, L.J., Tarr, M.J., & Tanaka, J.W. (2009). Perceptual other-race training reduces implicit racial bias. PLoS One, 4(1), e4215. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004215

[20] Lieberman, M.D. (2007). Social Cognitive Neuroscience: A Review of Core Processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 58(1), 259–289. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085654

[21] Lieberman, M.D. (2013). Social: Why our brains are wired to connect. OUP Oxford.

[22] Merritt, C.C., Maccormack, J.K., Stein, A.G., Lindquist, K.A., & Muscatell, K.A. (2021). The neural underpinnings of intergroup social cognition: An fMRI meta-analysis. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 16(9), 903–914. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsab034

[23] Phelps, E.A., O’Connor, K.J., Cunningham, W.A., Funayama, E.S., Gatenby, J.C., Gore, J.C., & Banaji, M.R. (2000). Performance on indirect measures of race evaluation predicts amygdala activation. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 12(5), 729–738. https://doi.org/10.1162/089892900562552

[24] Richeson, J.A., & Shelton, J.N. (2003). When prejudice does not pay: Effects of interracial contact on executive function. Psychological Science, 14(3), 287–290. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.03437

[25] Rossouw, J.G., & Rossouw, P.J. (2017). Executive resilience: Neuroscience for the business of disruption (1st edn.). Driven Books.

[26] Sapolsky, R.M. (2017). Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst. Penguin.

[27] Sherman, S.M., Cheng, Y.-P., Fingerman, K.L., & Schnyer, D.M. (2016). Social support, stress and the aging brain. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 11(7), 1050–1058. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv071

[28] Singer, T., Seymour, B., O’doherty, J., Kaube, H., Dolan, R.J., & Frith, C.D. (2004). Empathy for pain involves the affective but not sensory components of pain. Science, 303(5661), 1157–1162. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1093535

[29] Sporns, O. (2013). Structure and function of complex brain networks. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 15(3), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40308-8_2

[30] Spunt, R.P., Meyer, M.L., & Lieberman, M.D. (2015). The default mode of human brain function primes the intentional stance. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 27(6), 1116–1124. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00785

[31] Stout-Rostron, S. (2019). Transformational coaching to lead culturally diverse teams. Routledge.

[32] Todd, A.R., & Galinsky, A.D. (2014). Perspective-taking as a strategy for improving intergroup relations: Evidence, mechanisms, and qualifications. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8(7), 374–387.

[33] Van Bavel, J.J., Packer, D.J., & Cunningham, W.A. (2008). The Nnural substrates of in-group bias: A functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation. Psychological Science, 19(11), 9.

How we think about one another: In-group (us) versus out-group (them), and how insights from neuroscience can deepen our understanding and actions at work

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