Social Identity theory

Question 1

Strategy used to enhance SI depends on three factors:

Answer 1

Legitimacy
Stability
Permeability

Question 2

3 main strategies used to enhance SI:

Answer 2

Social mobility
Social competition
Social creativity

Question 3

Social mobility

Answer 3

Individual moving out of social group into a different one. Used if there are legitimate, stable differences in status. If there are permeable boundaries. (eg: work hard for promotion to management).

Question 4

Social competition

Answer 4

Group challenges/competes with the high status group. Likely to be used if impermeable boundaries and if high status group is unstable and illegitimate. (eg: women seeking higher pay)

Question 5

Social creativity

Answer 5

Group strategy used if impermeable boundaries, and if high status group is stable and seemingly legitimate.

• Re-define dimension of comparison (eg: black is beautiful - focus on sports rather than power/wealth).
• Find a new dimension of comparison (eg: we are a more creative/interesting/down to earth group
• Change the comparative outgroup to a less successful one (eg: we may be worse than x group but we are much better than y group.