Social Identity Theory Flashcards
Define SIT
single answer
Theory which states that an individual’s sense of self is developed on the basis of group membership, and this identity is shared with other members of the same group
What does the minimal group paradigm suggest?
single answer
Group categorisation is all that’s necessary for intergroup discrimination to occur
What idea did Turner and Reynolds (2011) propose?
that individuals self-stereotype themselves to be more like the group, demonstrating that SIT influences people to change their beliefs to fit the in-group
What are the four stages of SIT?
chronological order
4
- Social categorisation
- Social identification
- Social comparison
- Positive distinctiveness
Explain the process of social categorisation
4
- The division of social groups into in-groups and out-group
- Individual identifies with characteristics shared by other members of the in-group.
- Homogeneity: we are all the same, they are all the same, we are different from them (stereotype formation)
- Heterogeneity: allowed within in-group, not within out-group (we are diverse, they are not)
Explain the process of social identification
3
- Individual begins to identify with in-group more overtly
- Individual begins to adopt the norms and attitudes of the in-group
- Individual develops a sense of belonging to the in-group
Explain the process of social comparison
3
- Individual begins to favourably compare their in-group to the out-group
- In order to maintain self-esteem, the in-group needs to be perceived as somehow superior to out-groups
- Prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination is formed here
Explain the process of positive distinctiveness
- Positive distinctiveness is an indivdual’s motivation to prove that an in-group is preferable to the out-group
- Each group seeks to view itself as different from (and also better than) its rivals, so prejudice and discrimination at times arise out of such clashes of social perception
STUDY: Tajfel (1970)
Aim
Aim: To investigate the minimal conditions under which discrimination between social groups could be brought about.
Method: 48 schoolboys all aged around 14 -15 years old were randomly allocated to either a ‘Klee group’ or to a ‘Kandinsky group’ . they were shown a series of slides of six pairs of unlabelled and unsigned abstract paintings. They were told they were by the artists Klee and Kandinsky and were asked to express their preferences for one or the other as the slides were displayed. After they had said which paintings they preferred, the boys were told, (on a purely random basis), that they were in the ‘Klee’ group or the ‘Kandinsky’ group. Lab experiment.
Results:
STUDY: Tajfel (1970)
Method
Method: 48 schoolboys all aged around 14 -15 years old were randomly allocated to either a ‘Klee group’ or to a ‘Kandinsky group’ . they were shown a series of slides of six pairs of unlabelled and unsigned abstract paintings. They were told they were by the artists Klee and Kandinsky and were asked to express their preferences for one or the other as the slides were displayed. After they had said which paintings they preferred, the boys were told, (on a purely random basis), that they were in the ‘Klee’ group or the ‘Kandinsky’ group. Lab experiment.
STUDY: Tajfel (1970)
conclusion and link
Results: When the boys had the choice between maximising the profit for all and maximising the profit for their own group, they chose the latter. They were found to be more concerned with creating as large a difference as possible between the amounts allocated to each group (in favour of their own group), than in gaining a greater amount for everybody, across the two groups.
Conclusion: This is evidence of blatant discrimination associated with the categorisation of the boys into apparently meaningless social groups. It forms the basis of Tajfel’s minimal group paradigm.
