Prejudice: Social identity theory Flashcards
What is social identity theory?
A theory that explains how people construct and express their sense of belonging to social groups
Who proposed social impact theory?
Tajfel and Turner (1979)
Is social identity theory situational or dispositional?
Situational
What does SIT suggest brings about prejudice?
The presence of another group
Give 3 examples of social groups.
1) Ethnicity
2) Gender
3) Social class
What is meant by an ‘ingroup’?
The group that we belong to
What is meant by an ‘outgroup’?
Groups that are different to our own
What mentality leads to in and out groups?
The idea of ‘us’ and ‘them’
What are the three components of social impact theory?
- Social categorisation
- Social identification
- Social comparison
What is social categorisation?
People tend to categorise others into two groups:
- The ingroup
- The outgroup
What is social identification?
People adopt the identity of the group they have categorised themselves as belonging to
What is social comparison?
When people start to compare themselves with other groups to maintain self-esteem
