Social Identity Theory Flashcards
Who proposed social identity theory?
Intenri Taifel
What does Social Identity Theory say?
We get our self-esteem from the group we belong to
- Irrational need to belong
Reidentifies people with their groups, but have negative views about outgroup
Why do outgroups attract discriminitation?
- 3 stages
- Social categorisation: seeing yourself as part of a group
- Social identification - adopt values: Once having an identity, automatically perceive everyone else as either part of your in/out group
- Social comparison: viewing your social identity as superior
What are the minimal group studies?
- Taifel was looking at groups that people had the minimal possible reason to feel loyal too
- Recruited Bristol schoolboys (14-15yrs) and divided them into groups
- Boys would allocate points fairly to 2 outgroups/ingroup members
- However, if allocating an ingroup and outgroup member they awarded more points to the boys in their own group - INGROUP FAVOURITISM
CREDIBILITY:
- Taifel et al’s study
Showed how the boys will discriminate against an outgroup and show ingroup favouritism
- Shows us why discrimination occurs when the outgroup is no threat to the ingroup
- No competition over resources
- If self-esteem is based on SI, people need to put others down
OBJECTIONS:
- Adornos’ Authoritarian Personality
- Lacks ecological validity - can’t generalise
DIFFERENCE
-RCT
- Prejudice is produced by competition and happens when there is a scarcity of resources like food, money, jobs or status.
- Backed up byRobbers Cave” study; where boys showed outgroup discrimination when a tournament was arranged between them.
This started with name-calling and food fights but became increasingly violent.
APPLICATION
Increasing people’ senses of personal identity may decrease prejudice
- conselling may be a way
- can combat outgroup discrimination
