Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe History of Social Identity TheorySocial Identity vs. Self-IdentityCognitive Processes of Social Identity TheoryBenefits of Shared Social IdentityIssues with Social Identity Theory
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
The History of Social Identity Theory
Social Identity vs. Self-Identity
Cognitive Processes of Social Identity Theory
Benefits of Shared Social Identity
Issues with Social Identity Theory
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Social identity is part of an individual’s self-concept that derives from their knowledge of their group memberships.
Social identitytheory arose from Tajfel’s early work on social groups. With his colleagues, Tajfel conducted a series of studies in the early 1970s that explored the way people interacted in groups with differences that were as meaningless as possible.
Minimal-Group Studies
These studies were named the minimal-group studies, Tajfel found these participants awarded more points to in-group members than out-group members despite having no direct benefits from the situation and no personal identification or history with group members.
This showed that merely categorizing individuals into groups is enough to make people think of themselves in terms of in-groups and out-groups.
Then in 1979, Tajfel and Turner added a cognitive component to the theory, which specifies the cognitive processes that lead to group membership and behavioral motivations that enable people to maintain positive social identity.
“It is [social identity theory] a European theory… [and] it’s really a social answer to the individualized notion of identity in American social psychology,” saysRegina Tuma, PhD, Doctoral Faculty and Chair in Media Psychology at Fielding Graduate University.
While self-identity, or personal identity, refers to the self-knowledge of unique personal and individual attributes, social identity has to do with theirgroup memberships.
What Are the Major Differences Between the Two?Yourself-identitymay cause you to focus on what makes youdifferentfrom others, such as hobbies, education, andpersonalitytraits.Yoursocial identitywill cause you to focus on what makes yousimilarto the groups you’re a part of and different from those you’re not (e.g., such as race, social class, gender, religion, and sexual orientation).
What Are the Major Differences Between the Two?
Yourself-identitymay cause you to focus on what makes youdifferentfrom others, such as hobbies, education, andpersonalitytraits.Yoursocial identitywill cause you to focus on what makes yousimilarto the groups you’re a part of and different from those you’re not (e.g., such as race, social class, gender, religion, and sexual orientation).
For example, your personal identity will let you define yourself as the eldest child in your family, but social identity may mean that you identify with other middle-class women.
“[Social identity theory]," Tuma explains, “is a challenge to this idea that identity is something that is self-contained, isolated, and that exists without reference to the broader society that we belong to.”
There are three cognitive processes that are central to explaining how people define their in-groups and out-groups:
What Does This All Mean?As a result of these three processes, social identity theory can be seen as an individual’s knowledge of being a part of specific groups (social categorization), the social status (social comparison), and the emotional significance (social identification) of those groups.
What Does This All Mean?
As a result of these three processes, social identity theory can be seen as an individual’s knowledge of being a part of specific groups (social categorization), the social status (social comparison), and the emotional significance (social identification) of those groups.
There are many positives that come from a shared social identity, including:
Despite its popularity as a theory, there are several issues and limitations to social identity theory. These include:
Why Do We Need Psychology Theories?
3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Brewer MB. Intergroup Relations. In: Baumeister RF, Finkel EJ, eds. Advanced Social Psychology: The State of the Science. Oxford University Press; 2010:535-571.Ellemers N,Social Identity Theory. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2022.Social Identity Theory.TheoryHub.
3 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Brewer MB. Intergroup Relations. In: Baumeister RF, Finkel EJ, eds. Advanced Social Psychology: The State of the Science. Oxford University Press; 2010:535-571.Ellemers N,Social Identity Theory. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2022.Social Identity Theory.TheoryHub.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Brewer MB. Intergroup Relations. In: Baumeister RF, Finkel EJ, eds. Advanced Social Psychology: The State of the Science. Oxford University Press; 2010:535-571.Ellemers N,Social Identity Theory. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2022.Social Identity Theory.TheoryHub.
Brewer MB. Intergroup Relations. In: Baumeister RF, Finkel EJ, eds. Advanced Social Psychology: The State of the Science. Oxford University Press; 2010:535-571.
Ellemers N,Social Identity Theory. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2022.
Social Identity Theory.TheoryHub.
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