Self-Categorisation Theory

Question 1

What are the key principles of self-categorisation theory?

Answer 1

1. Social identity comprises self-categories
2. Self-categories exist at different levels of abstraction
3. Salience of self-categories = fit x perceiver readiness
4. Salience leads to accentuation of perceived similarities within groups and of differences between groups
5. Social influence operates through shared self-categorization

Question 2

Principle 2

Answer 2

Self categories exist at different levels of abstraction:
means
self categories vary from exclusive to inclusive (you and the relation to others)
the collective self is as real as the personal self
you can categorise yourself as different things
Implication: all of these are forms of the self, you just identify as different people depending on different things

Question 3

Why do you identify as different people in different categories?

Answer 3

Depends on fit times perceiver readiness

Question 4

Principle 3

Answer 4

Salience of self categories / identities operates through fit times perceiver readiness

Question 5

What does fit consist of?

Answer 5

1. Comparative fit or meta contrast - differences between a group are less than differences between the group and another group - so you go in the group that you have more similarities with
2. Normative fit - do group members act the way we would expect? e.g.. academics being scholarly

Depends how much you fit in the group

Question 6

What does perceiver readiness consist of?

Answer 6

Memory, knowledge, commitment - impacts whether you identify as a particular thing

Question 7

What is an example of people changing their self-categorises?

Answer 7

London 2005 bombings, terrorist attack. 4 bombs, 56 died, 700 injured, they were commuters
when asked about unity before: very low, 3/10, don’t think about it on a normal train journey, just want to get from A to B
me in contract to others
after the bomb: interviewees references to we ness - unity, together, similarity, part of a group, teamness, empathy etc

Question 8

Principle 4

Answer 8

Salience leads to the accentuation of perceived within group similarities and inter-group differences
perceive own group as more similar to each other and other people are different

Question 9

Principle 5

Answer 9

Social influence operates through shared self-categorisation:
puts limits on social influence, we only follow others behaviour to the extent that they are in-group members, the most influential are the ones that embody the category relative to an outgroup

Question 10

How is collective behaviour possible?

Answer 10

Social identity is the mechanism
in SCT: collective behaviour is a function of people in a crowd self-stereotyping = applying shared social category / group characteristics to themselves
self stereotyping means seeing the self as interchangeable with others in the group
self stereotyping is also known as depersonalisation - shifting from a personal level of identification to a collective

Question 11

What is self-stereotyping?

Answer 11

Applying shared social categories to themselves - so then everyone has same norms and acts the same

Question 12

What is the key point?

Answer 12

Collective behaviour occurs when people apply the same group stereotypical characteristics to themselves