Is there a concept or term in social society for the tendency of members of a group to quickly join in the ostracization of a member, even when there is little reason?
And what are the theories about this tendency? Is it the members of the group jockying for a higher social position?
Survival of the fittest…social darwinism maybe.
or just ignorant asses proving their smarminess.
It does sound like it would be an aspect of social darwinism, but perhaps only one concept within it.
n00bism?
Blood-in-the-water red-headed scapegoaty Coventryism.
Pitting.
fickle?
self-aggrandizing?
(Does that intrinsically imply “at the expense of the other participants”?)
Not coming up with a good term, but the place you see it most vividly is in any group where there is a rigid allegiance to an ideology coupled with an intensive condemnation of non-adherents, and especially where there is an element of “moral weakness” associated with non-adherence, and of spartan asceticism with proper adherence. The behavior of Party members towards each other in Orwell’s 1984 is a prime example. Also rather common among fervent religious groups who tend to condemn infidels. I’ve also seen it among the self-castigating variety of male feminists and recovering alcoholics / drug addicts – not to imply that it would always be found in any instance of these (::he says, heading off indignant criticism:
just that I’ve seen it in those contexts.
SOP
High school.
(I can’t believe no one else did it yet…)
Mob mentality.
Scape-goating
Not exactly the same thing, and I can’t find it in any dictionary, but Google shows a few cites for “scapegoatery”, meaning the tendency to transfer blame onto a random person whose actions do not warrant it and who is subsequently punished and removed from the group.
If you’re looking for a single word, there are various words such as “exclusionary” (meaning “tending to exclude”), “cliquey”, “cliquish”, “clannish”, and “factious” referring to a tendency to form into exclusive, argumentative or confrontational groups; “fissile” refers to things which are easy to split up or prone to splitting up.
I’d like to nominate “ostracistic” as a made up word meaning having a tendency to ostracise; nicely, you’ll find “racist” is at its heart. If “exclusionary” isn’t close enough, “exilic” (meaning pertaining to exile) could be extended to those prone to exiling others. Some meanings of “volatile” are also close to this (prone to having bits flying off).
In working with middle and high-schoolers, I find they focus attention on one group member to avoid having attention focused on them. Usually seems like there is one ring-leader, and the rest follow along and pick on one person so attention is diverted from them being the ones picked on.
Sometimes it seems compounded when the person being picked on seems to want attention, and is willing to take (and actually work at attracting) the attention of their peers, even if it means negative attention.
Happens with “adult” groups too.
Oh- and sometimes there is a reason, just not apparent to a group outsider (like I usually am in my position).
Klingon shunning