Social categorisation and identity theories Flashcards
What is social categorisation?
Ordering the social environment in terms of grouping people together in a manner which makes sense to the individual, assigning people certain social categories which offers a structure of how to behave. Inclusiveness of social categories can vary.
What is a prototype and when do we use it?
A social category member who is believed to possess the typical features of the given social category; used when we categorise people into how similar they are to this prototype
How do prototypes link to the accentuation effect?
We tend to exaggerate similarities within categories and differences between them
What is out group homogeneity?
a tendency to perceive and cognitively represent the members of an outgroup as v similar to another or the same, providing evidence for meta contrast
How do social processes lead to stereotype formation?
Tendency to exaggerate intra category similarities, generalisation about a social group where all similar characteristics are ascribed to group members, tending to be culturally or generationally transmitted, a cognitive shortcut
How does category fit influence our selection of social categories?
We choose categories that are most relevant and meaningful to the context
How does cognitive accessibility influence our selection of social categories?
Our preconceptions, expectations, desires and motivations influence the psychological centrality and accessibility of these formations, negotiating the context and social type of the group as our view of the social world in general is inherently social
What are some cognitive aspects of self categories?
Different degrees of inclusiveness; they have their prototypes and exemplars, possibly self stereotyping
Self categorisation in general gives us social identity which can be distinguished from personal identity
What is the difference between self-categorisation and social identity?
Self categorisation- cognitive processes of identification and how we become members such as how we think and feel about groups, accentuation etc
Social identity- relating to identity itself and how we derive this from social groups
Why are ingroup members particularly influential?
Shared group identification -> understanding ingroup members are seen as reliable and expectation to agree with them -> reciprocal influence through discussion and augmentation -> consensual group norms
How is leadership relevant to social identity?
Reliance on the individual characteristics of the leaders; an essential component for understanding identity.
What two implications does social identity have for leadership?
- The ideal leader is expected to be a representation of the group identity
- A highly prototypical leader is able to exert a strong influence on other group members, convincing and persuading them that the ideals are consistent with their group identity, this MUST be consistent with current group norms
How can the example of the miners strike be used to explain how group members engage in negotiation in terms of leadership?
Each leader described the context of the strike in terms of a prototypical representative and a very small social category identified as the ‘enemy’ using linguistic strategies to construe themselves as congruent w group prototypes
What is the black sheep effect?
The tendency to criticise and derogate the members of an ingroup who deviate from group norms more harshly than members of the outgroup
How can less prototypical ingroup members be seen within a group?
They may be seen as marginal members that threat the integrity of the group to the majority of the group; values and beliefs can undermine a shared consensus and community
