Black sheep effect

The Black Sheep Effect (BSE) is a psychological phenomenon in which members of a social group judge deviant ingroup members more harshly than members that are aligned with an outgroup (Marques et al., 1988). The BSE was first identified by Marques, Yzerbyt, and Leyens in 1988. They found this effect shows how groups maintain their identity and keep their group cohesion by distancing themselves from members that violate group norms or values (Marques et al., 1988). BSE manifests differently depending on factors such as type of deviance, strength of identity, or group member status (Marques et al., 1988).