Considered to be one of the founding fathers of social psychology; Gordon Allport formulated theories of personality and prejudice. In his article The Formation of In Groups, Allport theorizes that people feel entitled to a sense of belonging or loyalty to certain groups which share similar interest, beliefs, traits or traditions. These groups are called in-groups; an in-group is defined as any cluster of people who can use the term "we" collectively and with the same significance. "The existence of an outsider is in the beginning an essential condition of any warmth or togetherness within the group." Allport argues that for every in-group there is an out-group and that hatred for the out-group strengthens the bonds between members of the same in-group.
             Allport's theory on the dissociation of in-group to out-group is true. Through personal experiences I have noticed the ties which bound me to my group. Growing up in a Baptist church I regularly associated with family that attended the church. I would sit with family and talk with them. I demonstrated prejudice to those in the church, who were not related to me by avoiding them all together or not interacting with the others as much as I did with my own family. Through this personal experience, Allport's theory is correct; by belonging to a group and being loyal to that group a out-group was created and subjected to prejudice just because they were unlike my own group.
             Allport also states in his article "the strength and definition of in-groups change over the years in a given culture, but a single individual, too, may have occasion at one time to affirm one group-loyalty and at a different time another." The groups we take membership in are not always permanent. Certain groups we out grow and others we will never be able to break from. The high school football team I was on is a perfect example of this theory. On the team the other teamma...