Social identity theory is basically one’s own sense of who they are based on people in their community. Tajifel’s theory was that the groups humans belonged to was a very important and impacts a person very positively by raising traits such as self esteem and a sense of belonging in the world which is a necessity as a human. Because of the strong sense of pride we feel towards our group, we tend to discriminate others out of our nature and we divide the world into “them” and “us” through a process of social categorization; this being one of the four components. SIT has also made a great contribution in the explanation of how stereotypes and prejudices occur and why.
Social Identity theory involves the category accentuation effect; which
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The aim of this study demonstrates the social identity theory in terms of increasing self esteem as well as emphasizing the effects of discrimination on personal traits. This study includes participants of the primary school who were segregated according to their eye color, a factor that they cannot change within themselves. Blue eyed people were told they were smart and more successful whilst brown eyed people were told they were stupid and untruthful. Because being told this, they had separate effects on people depending on what they were told. This study is another example of how SIT affects intergroup behavior. Although, some ethical considerations to take into a count Is that it may cause stress for the participants and make them feel insecure. Also, discrimination was evident so this links with issues related to the SIT.
Despite the amount of studies that agree with the social identity theory, it suffers some weaknesses such as methodological considerations like having unrepresentative samples as well as the fact that this theory only favors situational factors. Also, stereotyping is a big factor that plays in the social identity theory as it is a big form of social categorization. This can also be known as schema
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Because SIT portrays stereotyping, it gives an explanation as to why this happens whilst social interaction. All three studies proved the social identity theory and can be a valid explanation for our natural need to make in groups and out groups and subconsciously form
Although the concept of identity is recurrent in our daily lives, it has interpreted in various ways.
The social identity theory is a person’s sense of who they are based on their social
The Social construction of racial formation classified racial groups based upon their skin color to construct their social identity which can include being part of a society, culture, family, groups, etc. Within the article
Tajifel, H. a. (1986). The social identity theory of inter-group behavior. Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/258189
People go through many obstacles when they face their social identity. Some can overcome their differences, but others may not have they change to even face them due to the treatment that they get from society. Social identity is the one of many controversial and complex problems that many individuals deal with. Because, sometimes it used to be misunderstood making reference to racism and/or others complex matters. “On Being a Cripple” and “How It Feels to Be Colored” are two essays in which both characters suffer from some kind of discrimination. Indeed, in “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston and “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs, each author shows different attitude, endures challenges, and change toward social identity.
Hogg, M., & van Knippenberg D. (2003). Social identity and leadership processes in groups. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 35, 1-52.
Social identities are identities we have as an individual and connect us to be a part of a larger group. These identities can be race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, religious/spiritual affiliation, national origin, first language or physical/ emotional/ developmental ability, to name a few. Social identities work to define each and every person in the way they identify themselves and how we describe ourselves to others. While there are many different identifiers I will only be mentioning a few as the identities I think about most frequently, identities I think about least frequently, my identities I want to learn more about, and the identities I most strongly identify with are examine.
In the Social Identity Theory(SIT), TT, looked at inter groups relations from an identity perspective. They claimed, layered on top, beside and underneath inter group conflict is identity issues. Therefore, group identity becomes a psychological engine that allows us to understand how group conflict emerges. In this essay I will focus on 3 concepts SIT suggests. The first social comparison and distinctiveness are concepts which give insights about person’s psychology in his group’s affect on it. For gay people, it is obvious that they are not in a helathy place with these 2 concepts. After I talk about instability which is a cognitive alternative that shows gays that their relative position in the society can be changed. Later, I talk about 5 stage model which incorporates macro and micro to explain intergroup relations. I
Some of the strengths of the social identity theory are that; throughout the years it has supported many empirical studies, it has also demonstrated the social categorization in intergroup behaviors, allowed us to differentiate between social and personal identities and has provide explanations for other areas of psychology (conformity). A weaknesses of the Social identity theory is that its application is restricted in the sense that it has very low ecological validity. Another weakness is that SIT favors situational factors rather than dispositional is not supported by evidence. The social Identity theory can be used to how to explain how we form our social and personal identities in the terms of in and out groups. SIT can also be used to explain why there is conflict between humans and different societies.
Social identity theory can be applied to many different problems and real life situations. It demonstrates the role of categorization in behaviors, and explores how being part of a group affects social interaction in everyday life.
Identity is a person’s socially and historically constructed concept. We learn and determine our own identity through the interactions of family, peers, media and also other connections that we have encounter in our life. Gender, social class, age and experience of the world are the key concepts which plays a substantial role in shaping how we are by facing obstacles in our lives. According to Mead (1934) as cited in Thulin, Miller, Secher, and Colson (2009), identity theory determines
The question ‘who am I?’ raises speculations about who we are as human beings and why we behave the way we do. This is of great interest to social psychologists. One particular theory about this social identity is that it is not fixed or innate but that it is something that changes over time and is constructed through our social interactions with other people. This essay will explicate the idea of socially constructed identities and consider the evidence for and against this view with examples of research studies from both social constructionism (Phoenix, 2007) and Social Identity Theory (SIT) (Turner and Brown, 1978).
Social identity theory is based on four interrelated concepts: social categorization, social identification, social comparison and positive distinctiveness. Social categorization is tendency to divide and therefore categorise individuals into in-groups (individual belongs) and out-groups (individual does not belong); it groups different social circles based on the members’ stereotypical culture and behaviour. This often leads to category accentuation effect, which is exaggerating of intergroup differences and intragroup similarities; individual underestimate perceived variability within groups but overestimate variability between groups. Social identification is way of identifying individual with a particular social group based on their in-group norms and by doing so, may adopt some of the values and behaviours of that particular group. Social comparison and positive distinctiveness is when social identity contributes to our self-image so we seek positive social identities to maintain and enhance self-esteem. We compare in-group with out-group and also discriminate the out-group to establish the superiority of in-group, enhance their self-image...
Burke, P.J. & Stets, J.E. (2000). Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly 63(3), 224-237
In today’s society, there has been a greater emphasis on identity than in the past. The perception of identity has changed due to the growing human population, and being able to distinguish oneself from the general population. Identity is the uniqueness of a person. As people get older, their identity might change since they become more aware of the society and also are more independent. By creating and recognizing an identity, one can interact with others who have a similar identity. Identity can be formed socially. There are several factors that influence an identity.