SOCIAL social identity theory

Question 1

explain the term social identity

Answer 1

refers to an individual’s self-concept and comes from how people see themselves in relation to members of their social group

Question 2

what is self-concept

Answer 2

having a sense of who we are and consists of many social identities

Question 3

what is in-group favouritism

Answer 3

preference for people who identify to your in-group - this results in giving advantage to in-group members

Question 4

who created the theory and when

Answer 4

Tajfel and Turner 1979

Question 5

explain the theory

Answer 5

• we have a strong desire to belong and we derive from self-esteem by acceptance from others
• social behaviour is driven by motivation to maintain a position as a valued member of the group
• claims that prejudice is a natural outcome to social grouping
• competition is not necessary

Question 6

what are the 3 processes

Answer 6

social categorisation, social identification, social comparison

Question 7

explain the process of social categorisation

Answer 7

• we see ourselves as belonging to a group, and see other groups as the out-groups
• this process involves stereotyping

Question 8

explain the process of social identification

Answer 8

• the process of taking on aspects of our in-group identity as our own
• e.g. group norms, clothing
• shared norms lead to a strong group identity

Question 9

explain the process of social comparison

Answer 9

• when people see their in-group as better than the out-groups
• develop in-group favouritism which boosts our self-esteem
• prejudice and discrimination may arise

Question 10

what factors influence in-group favouritism

Answer 10

• the extent to which the individuals identify with the in-group
• the extent to which there are grounds for making comparisons with the out-group

Question 11

positives of the theory

Answer 11

• supporting evidence from Tajfel (1970) - boys who behaved similarly (in-group) and not (out-group) - social categorisation triggers in-group favouritism
• useful application of radicalisation - moulded into extremes of a group - help people who are vulnerable to radicalisation
• useful application - Gaertner’s common in-group identity model - create new groups to include everyone - reduce inter-racial tension

Question 12

negatives of the study

Answer 12

• refuting evidence by Sherif (1954) - two groups became aggressive when manipulated to compete for zero-sum resources - competition must be introduced
• ignores idea that personality may play a role in development - Adorno = authoritarian personality - overlooks individual differences as personality - lowers credibility
• isolates membership of groups - ignores upbringing/ history between groups - reductionist