Most human beings assess new situations and people for threat before anything else. Humans have genetically survived because of this. As humans, we are more likely to approach a stranger that we deem as non-threatening than one that we do not feel comfortable with. We are more comfortable around people that we can be ourselves around or people that are similar to us. When we can create a bond or “be part of the group”, we feel at ease – we feel comfortable. When somebody likes us, or is similar to us, or has the same hobbies / interests, we instantly like that person more. We think, “if that person likes me or likes the same things I do, then he / she must be a good person.” We call this tribe mentality and when it comes down to it, all humans want to be a member of the tribe and social engineers will utilize this to the fullest in each of their engagements.

Tribalism is defined as the state of being organized in or an advocate for a tribe or tribes. In terms of conformity, tribalism may also refer in popular cultural terms to a way of thinking or behaving in which people are loyal to their social group. Being able to establish oneself as a member of a certain “tribe” instantly brings about rapport. We as human beings feel more comfortable around people that are like us, respect us, or partake in the same activities or hobbies as us.

Think of some of the tribes that you are a part of: a fan of a sports team, an alumnus of a college, a member of an organization or charity, from a certain state or region, attendee at a festival/concert, the list goes on and on. These are widespread tribes that are sure to include a vast number of individuals, but a tribe can be much simpler.

A tribe can be formed of like-minded individuals. A tribe could be something as simple as walking up to the smoke area outside a bar and joining a group of individuals in smoking a cigarette. At that moment, you have become a tribe of cigarette smokers. If you were traveling overseas and you saw an individual wearing a hat of your favorite college team, would you feel inclined to let them know that you approve? At the very least, id imagine that you are already viewing that individual in a better light due to the fact that you respect their choice in fandom and you can relate to that individual, even if its only due to the liking of a sports team. Being a member of a tribe does not mean that you have to be a member of an organization, religion, or race. Being a member of a tribe can be a simple as the things we mentioned, like smoking a cigarette with other individuals.

Cognitive Tribalism

Humans are biased towards claims that conform to our existing beliefs or points of view. Cognitive tribalism is when being a part of a community, group, team, etc. becomes part of our identity. It gives us purpose, belonging, a sense of being within something bigger than we are. What our “tribe” believes, we believe. We all want to belong, to feel a part of something, and to fit in. Being different is uncomfortable and in a much older time it would have more than likely led to be exiled or ostracized, which would have made survival difficult.

Homophily: love of the same. This describes tribe mentality in a simplistic way. It is the tendency of people with similar characteristics to congregate. We are more likely to spend time, and enjoy time spent, with individuals who are similar to us and who enjoy the same things.

“At our core, we humans are tribal. Constantly, our subconscious is bombarded with cues that identify who is “us” and “them”. Perceived similarities of status and values make it much more likely that we will connect and form lasting bonds with our fellows. This tendency has tremendous survival value; without strong cohesion, human groups ranging from hunter gatherer societies, business organizations, and even modern nation states would not be able to adequately meet the constant challenges they face.”

Tribe mentality brings about instant rapport and often times can be done without saying a word, and gaining quick rapport is vital to a successful social engineering engagement. Now, stay with me as I discuss two “studies” into tribe mentality and then finish up with how social engineers utilize all of this in their engagements.

Burning Man

Burning Man is an annual week-long event in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert that takes its name from the burning of a giant effigy at the end of the week. Some people think of this event as a non-stop rave thrown by a bunch of drugged-out naked hippies but there is more to be learned from this famous gathering of over 50,000 people.

Burning man was first held in 1986, as a small function organized by a group of friends and now, year after year, thousands and thousands of people convene in the Nevada desert to be apart of this community of likeminded individuals. During this event, individuals attempt to do away with several of the most fundamental institutions underlying modern society. Clothing, is optional, and money, is banned. People exchange goods and services but not money. Burning Man has managed to create an entire city operating in the social framework rather than the economic.

People from all over the world navigate to Nevada as strangers, and for a week, become members of a tribe. Burning Man has its own lingo – everyone in attendance is a “burner”, and you’re supposed to greet new people with a “Welcome Home!” It has its own customs, like the burning of the Man and hugging replaces handshakes. It has its own rules and a shared value system. None of this would be possible without individuals wanting to be a part of something bigger than themselves. These individuals all become part of a tribe, and being in the same tribe, whether that’s a family, or a team, has always greased the wheels of cooperation. As a species that evolved in tribes, we humans are wired for that, and Burning Man allows individuals to experience that.

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger

A book that I highly recommend reading and will take you 10x further into Tribalism is a book by Sebastian Junger called Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging. This book goes into detail about how we all have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding and how this tribal connection has been largely lost in modern society. Junger believes that regaining this tribal connection is the key to our psychological survival. Junger combines history, psychology, and anthropology, to explore what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging, and the eternal human quest for meaning. The following is some of Junger’s thoughts.

Mental Health

According to a global survey by the World Health Organization, people in wealthy countries suffer depression at as much as eight times the rate they do in poor countries, and people in countries with large income disparities – like the United States – run a much higher lifelong risk of developing severe mood disorders. The accumulation of personal property allowed people to make more and more individualistic choices about their lives, and those choices unavoidably diminished group efforts toward a common good. As society modernized, people found themselves able to live independently from any communal group.

Numerous cross-cultural studies have shown that modern society – despite its nearly miraculous advances in medicine, science, and technology – is afflicted with some of the highest rates of depression, schizophrenia, poor health, anxiety, and chronic loneliness in human history. So why is this? With the advances in medicine, science, and technology, why are people suffering in terms of their mental health?

The mechanism seems simple: poor people are forced to share their time and resources more than wealthy people are, and as a result they live in closer communities. Inter-reliant poverty comes with its own stresses – but its much closer to our evolutionary heritage than affluence. Financial independence can lead to isolation, and isolation can put people at a greatly increased risk of depression and suicide. This shows, that deep inside, humans are wired to be communal. Humans want – and need – to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

War

The positive effects of war on mental health were first noticed by the great sociologist Emile Durkheim, who found that when European countries went to war, suicide rates dropped. During WWII Psychiatrists watched in puzzlement as long-standing patients saw their symptoms subside during the period of the most intense air raids. There are survivors of those times, that look back to the chaos, and wish to once again feel the belonging and togetherness that was felt during those times.

Disasters, wars, etc. create “a community of sufferers” that allows individuals to experience an immensely reassuring connection to others. As people come together to face an existential threat, class differences are temporarily erased, income disparities become irrelevant, race is overlooked, and individuals are assessed simply by what they are willing to do for the group.

The last time the United States experienced an undoubtedly strong sense of unity – was briefly – after the terrorist attacks of September 11. There were no rampage shootings for the next two years. The effect was particularly pronounced in New York city, where rates of violent crime, suicide, and psychiatric disturbances dropped immediately. At that time, it didn’t matter your economic status, your race, or religion. People of the United States, for that period of time, were all part of the same tribe.

You see, humans don’t mind hardship, in fact they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary. Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary. In times of war or disaster – like the terrorist attacks of September 11 – people band together and feel like they are needed.  In today’s society, our tribalism is to an extremely narrow group of people: our children, our spouse, maybe our parents. Our society is alienating, technical, cold and mystifying. Our fundamental desire, as human beings, is to be close to others, and our society does not allow for that. So, when individuals are given the chance to be a member of a tribe and feel like the belong and are needed, they thrive.

How This Relates to Social Engineers

In a social engineering engagement, it is vital for the social engineer to gain quick and strong rapport with their target. A way for social engineers to do this is to implement principles of “tribe mentality”. As you read above, humans are tribal, it is in our genes. Long ago, the chance for survival was much greater if you were a member of a tribe. We are becoming more individualistic as time passes, but it takes thousands of years for adaptations to occur, and deep inside of us, we are all still wired to be communal. That is why social engineers play to this and it is very effective.

After a solid information gathering stage, the skilled social engineer will know a great amount about the target – from hobbies / interests to education and work history. The social engineer can then utilize this information and become part of the same tribe as the target. For example, if your target was a huge fan of a certain sports team, then you could use this to your advantage and wear that team’s apparel and come off as a fan of that same team. Now, it is important to gain knowledge about that sports team because the target will be able to spot a fake instantly, if you are unable to answer or expand on basics. Another example, that was mentioned prior, would be to join your target in the smoke area and engage the target over a cigarette – if your target was a smoker.

Everyone wants to feel like they fit in, that they are not being judged, that there are others out there that are like them. When you are around someone that is similar to you, your guards come down and you feel at ease. This is when the social engineer can strike and gain vast amounts of information.

Article Written by Chad Gutschenritter

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger

https://behumanproject.net/why-are-we-tribal/

https://moderndayom.com/tribe-mentality

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-social-psychology-of-burning-man/