Social💭 • Social Identity Theory + Studies

Question 1

What is social identity?

Answer 1

A person’s sense of who they are based on groups that they are included in

Question 2

What does social identity theory propose about behaviour?

Answer 2

That your behaviour is motivated by your social identity

Question 3

What are the two ways that are proposed in the theory can be used to increase our self image/ self-esteem?

Answer 3

• Enhancing the status of the group to which we belong e.g. ‘England is the best country!’
• Discriminating or holding prejudices against your outgroup e.g. ‘America is the worst!’

Question 4

What are the 3 core concepts in Social Identity Theory?

Answer 4

• Categorisation
• Identification
• Comparison

Question 5

What is categorisation in SIT?

Answer 5

• When people are sorted into groups and label one another based on interests or ethnicities e.g. calling somebody a Muslim is an example of categorisation

Question 6

What is identification in SIT?

Answer 6

• When a person has been sorted into a group they will start to asociate with that group
• Their own identity will become interchangable with that of the groups

Question 7

Give some examples of identification?

Answer 7

• using similar vocabulary to your group
• having a similar sense of humour to your group
• behaving in the same way as your group

Question 8

What is comparison in SIT?

Answer 8

• When people compare themselves/ their group to their outgroups e.g. any other external groups
• Comparison commonly includes discriminatory behaviour/ prejudice

Question 9

During comparison what are the 2 core patterns that are almost always visible?

Answer 9

• Ingroup Favouritism
• Outgroup Hostility

Question 10

What are subcultures?

Answer 10

Nowadays, within set groups smaller, more specific ‘minigroups’ arise under the umbrella of the main group e.g.
* Emos as a main group
* Subcultures could include: Black clothing wearers or Goth music listeners

Question 11

What is a usefull acronym for remembering the 3 key core concepts of SIT?

Answer 11

• Categorisation
• Identification
• Categorisation
• (Kick)

Question 12

What does arbitrary mean?

Answer 12

When something is random, when there is no reason behind it

Question 13

What is the central hypothesis/ idea that SIT suggests?

Answer 13

That if we were to put people into any groups e.g. arbitrary groups (no common interests & randomly sorted) they will still identify and compare and hold prejudice against their outgroups/ other groups to enhance their self image, even though they dont have any thing in common with this group & its random - members in an ingroup will always seek to find negative aspects of an outgroup to discriminate in order to enhance self-esteem

Question 14

What are the 3 studies used to support this theory?

Answer 14

• Robber’s Cave (1954)
• Elliot (1968)
• Tajfel (1970)

Question 15

Describe how Robber’s cave (1954) links to the 3 core concepts of Social Identity Theory

Answer 15

• Categorisation: splitting the 22 boys arbitrarily into 2 separate groups, Rattlers & Eagles
• Identification: Creating flags with their group names on them, adopting certain characteristics that were of their group e.g Eagles: swore more & were more tough Rattlers: cried more when injured & were anti-swearing
• Comparision: Discrimination between groups towards their outgroup/ opposing group e.g. name calling, fights, burining eachothers flags, stealing, raiding cabins

Question 16

What year was Elliot’s Study held in?

Answer 16

1968

Question 17

Explain Elliot’s Study

Answer 17

• segregated primary school class into 2 groups based on eye colour
• Blue eyes told: smarter, quicker and more successful
• Brown eyes told: lazy, untruthful & stupid
• Blue eyed children became: bossy, arrogant & smarter + discriminated agianst browns
• Brown eyed children became: timid, submissive & actually started to take on given charactersitics by preforming less well academically as they believed they were actually ‘stupid’ (identification)
• Roles were reversed and exact same thing happened

Question 18

Describe how Elliot’s (1968) links to the 3 core concepts of Social Identity Theory

Answer 18

• Categorisation: Splitting children into groups due to eye colour and prescribing each group with set characteristics
• Identification: Students actually taking on given characteristics of their ingroup
• Comparision: The superior group would showcase discriminatory behaviour towards the other groups as they believed they were better (in group favouritism, outgroup hostility)

Question 19

What year was Tajfel’s Study held in?

Answer 19

1970

Question 20

Explain Tajfel’s Study?

Answer 20

• Sorted 15-year-old Bristol school boys into ingroups & outgroups arbitrarily but told them it was based on when he asked showed them 2 paintings and asked them to choose their favourite
• He then assembled the groups
• Later boys were asked individually to allocate points to the other boys & were told these points would exchange for cash
• Boys tended to allocate more points to their ingroup members than outgroups

Question 21

Describe how Tajfel’s (1970) links to the some of the core concepts of Social Identity Theory

Answer 21

• Comparison: boys displaying ingroup favouritism and outgroup hostility by litteraly favouring their own ingroup members over outgroup boys & discriminating against outgroup by purposfully awarding them less points