Psychology SLCOA Individuals and Groups

The Individual & The Group

Social Identity Theory [SIT](Tajfel & Turner)

Asserting social categorization (grouping people) influences one’s identity & thus one’s behaviors.

Posits social behaviors influenced by 4 connected concepts:

Social Categorization

→

Social Identification

→

Social Comparison

→

Positive Distinctiveness

Act of grouping others into:

In-groups (groups one identifies as a member of)

Out-groups (groups one doesn’t identify as a member of); “us vs them”

Group membership aspects of one’s self-image (who one sees self as an individual) are activated & brought to the forefront of one’s mind.

Comparing in-groups & out-groups.

Not always fair—for in-groups, similarities may be exaggerated & differences minimized (vice versa for out-groups), i.e. category accentuation effect

Motivation to show in-group >  out-group to create +ve association with in-group, enhancing self-esteem

May be successful, resulting in more value placed on membership to in-group, more +ve social identity & higher self-esteem.

May be unsuccessful (in-group perceived inferior to out-group), leading to lower self-esteem…