Ethnocentrism is the notion that one’s own group is the centre of everything. It is marked by a disposition to look at the rest of the world from inside the conceptual scheme of one’s own ethnocultural group. The result of this is a form of thinking in which one’s own group’s ways are always deemed somehow superior to others.

While everyone is ethnocentric on some level – indeed it is considered impossible not to be – an excessive level of ethnocentrism comes with a range of unfavorable consequences. In the words of Martin L. Kilson, “excessive ethnocentric behavior is dysfunctional to the egalitarian goals of parity,” although there is a tendency to associate ethnocentrism of all forms to such negative implications.

The ethnocentric perspective, on a certain level, can lead to a positive group identity, which in turn enhances one’s affiliation with others within the same group, personal identity, confidence, self-esteem, understanding of self, and a psychological sense of well-being. It would be wrong, therefore, to automatically assume any form of ethnocentrism as having negative effects on the society.

The negative effects do clearly exist, although the highly excessive forms of ethnocentrism prevalent in the early twentieth century – which is when William Graham Sumner coined the term – are not equally relevant today in the twenty-first century. Having coined the term, Graham went on to state that an ethnocentric viewpoint of the world only leads to pride and vanity.

This pride often results in being fond of one’s own way of life to such an extent that one harbors feelings of contempt towards other cultures. For instance, ethnocentrism within a European society has led to practices such as polygamy and the eating of dogs – not considered aberrant in certain societies – to be looked upon as not only different, but also inferior, offensive and “unnatural.”

Similarly, fundamentalist Muslims might find many of the practices of European women highly immodest and immoral. These attitudes of superiority or hostility towards members of other groups can lead to discrimination or even violence within a society.

Looking at ethnocentrism from an objective perspective, it can therefore be seen to have both positive and negative values for a society. While it can hold together and benefit small societies, the real benefit of that in today’s world is somewhat limited, and the negative potential far more obvious. 

It isn’t surprising then that ethnocentrism is almost always brought up in relation to its negative implications in today’s multicultural societies. As societies grow increasingly diverse, there is a greater need for people from different ethnicities and cultures, who have different sets of values, to work together. In this context, ethnocentrism is mostly seen as something negative, as it often fosters misunderstanding and mistrust towards those with different ideals.