Social Identity Theory

Question 1

Define social identity.

Answer 1

The part of self-concept that is based on group memebrship.

Question 2

What is social identity theory?

Answer 2

A theory of intergroup conflict. It aims to explain why conflict and discrimination occur.

Question 3

What is the theory about?

Answer 3

Becoming part of different groups and how membership to these groups helps construct our identities.

Question 4

What does the theory suggest?

Answer 4

That people will have an in-built tendency to categorise themselves into one or more in-groups, building a part of their identity on the basis of membership of that group and enforcing boundaries with other groups.

Question 5

Define categorisation and thus, social categorisation.

Answer 5

• Looks at the way people put others and themselves into categories.
• We label one another based on interest, ethnicity, gender, occupation and other factors.
• The cognitive process of categorising people to out-groups and in-groups.

Question 6

Define identification.

Answer 6

• Once a social identity has been identified, people will choose to associate with certain groups.

Question 7

Define comparison and thus, social comparison.

Answer 7

• People compare themselves and their groups with other groups, seeing a favourable bias towards the group in which they belong.
• The process of comparing the in-group to the out-group (us vs them).

Question 8

Define positive distinctiveness.

Answer 8

• The motivation to show that our in-group is preferable to our out-group.

Question 9

Define in-group favouritism.

Answer 9

• Behaviour that is biased towards the benefits of the in-group.

Question 10

Define minimal group paradigm.

Answer 10

• The experiemental procedure where trivial group differences are created artificially to investigate the effects of social categorisation on intergroup discrimination.

Question 11

Define out-group discrimination.

Answer 11

• Behaviour that creates disadvantages for the out-group.