Us–Them Concept Structure in Psychology

The Us–Them dichotomy is a fundamental mechanism that structures social interaction. Despite its popularity across disciplines, theoretical approaches to this issue remain fragmented. The authors structured the Us–Them concept by integrating data from cognitive neuroscience and various psychological disciplines into a unified explanatory framework. The resulting complex, multilevel model made it possible to describe the concept across different levels, ranging from the neurobiological correlates of social categorization to existential consequences. The cognitive approach served as a universal methodological foundation for integrating these distinct levels of analysis, as its unified analytical apparatus can be applied at multiple conceptual levels within a single framework. Through structural-categorical synthesis, modeling, and scientific systematization, the authors demonstrated that key psychological approaches capture different yet interconnected facets of the concept, spanning biological prerequisites to meaning-making constructs. The cognitive level formed the integrative core of the model, mediating interlevel connections. The resulting seven-level model reflected the principles of hierarchical complexity and bidirectional determination, with each level operationalized through a system of constructs and empirical indicators. The proposed structural model was able to transform fragmented data into a unified conceptual framework suitable for comprehensive analysis, interlevel diagnostics, and intergroup mediation. Ultimately, the cognitive mechanism of categorization serves as a universal nexus connecting the biological, social, and meaning-based determinants of the Us–Them phenomenon.