Social identity theory revision notes

• When people are casually assigned to a group, they have similar attitudes and behavior, and a bond is often formed amongst the members

• People exhibit in-group favoritism, and a pattern of discrimination with the out-group
• Individual's self esteem is maintained by social comparison: benefits of belonging to the in-group

• Outcome of comparison is important, as it influence self esteem

Cialdini et al 1976:

• Aim: find out whether people really favor their own in groups more
• Method: see the response of fans after a successful football match
• Result: fans were likely to be seen wearing a college badge and clothing than after defeats
• Evaluation: our need for positive self-concept will result in a bias in these intergroup comparisons, therefore people are more positive to what your group represents

Tajfel et al 1971:

• Aim: whether people that are placed randomly in a group would create a bond
• Method: assign randomly a bunch of boys [14-15 years old] that did not know each other.   The participants were led to believe that they were divided based on their preference for the art of Kandinsky or Klee, and they had to rate their members and then their out-groups
• Results: out-group was rated as less likeable
• Evaluation: group identity alone may not be responsible for intergroup conflict - in the absence of competition, social comparison does not necessarily produce a negative outcome

Social identity - useful for understand the human behavior

Strengths of the theory:

• Explains social behaviors such as:

• Ethnocentrism
• Ingroup favoritism
• Intergroup differentiation
• Stereotypical thinking
• Conformity to ingroup norms

Limitations to the theory:

• It does not explain the criteria we use for distinguishing groups [eg. Skin color]

• Neither the meaning we give to these distinctions

• It describes but does to accurately predict human behavior
• Some case our personal identity is stronger than group identity
• Using the theory in isolation is reductionist - failure to address environment that interacts with the self
• Cultural expectations, rewards as motivators, and societal constraints such as poverty may affect a role in behavior rather than in-group identity

Social Representations

Moscovici: developed idea of group theory with social representations

Social representations: shared beliefs and explanations held by the society in which we live in or the group which we belong in

• Social representations are the foundation of social cognition
• Help us make sense of our world and to master it
• Enable communication to take place among members of a community
• providing them with a code for social exchange
• a code for naming and classifying unambiguously the various aspects of their world and their individual or group history

Cultural schemas that are fundamental to the identity of a group

Provide common understanding for communication within their group

• e.g. A group may have their own social representation of success, beauty, or intelligence