In Social Psychology, the Theory of Social Identity (TIS) was a fundamental theory for this field of psychology , which served as a precedent for the development of new research and theoretical trends linked to group behavior and interpersonal relationships.

Here we will know what this theory consists of and what its most important postulates are.

Origin of the Social Identity Theory

Henry Tajfel began his work on categorical perception in the 1950s . Later, with some collaborators, he developed the experimental paradigm of the minimal group.

This paradigm highlighted the effect of mere categorization, i.e., how groups develop group-discriminating behaviors just by receiving the premise that they belong to “X” group and not to another one.

Turner and Brown, in 1978, coined the term Social Identity Theory to refer to the descriptions and ideas that Tajfel had used to explain the results of his research.

Social identity and personal identity

The fundamental idea of the Social Identity Theory is that the belonging of an individual to certain groups or social categories contributes important aspects to the individual identity of the subject . That is, our belonging to groups and our relationship with them determines to a great extent who we are individually, that is, they influence our personal identity.

Self-concept

Tajfel stated that a person’s self-concept is largely formed by his social identity . This is the “knowledge that an individual possesses that he/she belongs to certain social groups together with the emotional significance and value that such belonging has for him/her”. (Tajfel, 1981).

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In his initial formulations, the author proposed that a person’s social behaviour varies along a one-dimensional continuum delimited by two extremes: the inter-group (when behaviour is determined by belonging to different groups or social categories) and the inter-personal (when behaviour is determined by personal relationships with other people and by the personal characteristics of each person).

In the Social Identity Theory it was also postulated that there is an individual tendency to achieve positive self-esteem . This is satisfied in the inter-group context through the maximization of the differences between the endogroup (the group itself) and the ex-group (the “other” group) in the facets that reflect positively on the endogroup or that favour it.

The social comparison

Through the social comparison carried out on different facets, the endogroup will be differentiated from the possible exogroups. As a result, the principle of accentuation is born, which consists of increasing the inter-group differences, especially in the facets in which the endo-group stands out in a positive way.

Thus, if the group itself bases its comparisons with the exogroup on facets that are valued positively, the perception of superiority will be generated in that comparison . In this way, the person will acquire a positive distinctiveness and consequently a positive social identity will be generated in her/him (and in the group), in comparison with the exogroup.

If the social comparison leads to negative results for the person, he/she will feel a dissatisfaction that will promote the activation of mechanisms to counteract it. In this way, he or she will develop different forms of inter-group behaviour aimed at obtaining a positive social identity.

Strategies for obtaining a positive social identity

Tajfel proposed two types of strategies to reduce such dissatisfaction and increase positive social identity . Let’s see them:

1. Social mobility

It consists of the person redefining his or her categorical membership to become a member of the higher status group. Appears when there is a belief that the barriers between social categories are permeable (one can move from one category to another or from a lower status to a higher one).

2. Social change

It is the attempt of people to develop, together with their endogroup, strategies to obtain a positive re-evaluation of the endogroup. It appears when considering impermeable intergroup barriers (you can’t go from one category to another).

2.1. Social creativity

It is part of the strategy of social change . It involves three concrete strategies: looking for new facets of comparison, redefining the values given to certain facets and changing the exo group with whom we compare ourselves. It appears when inter-group relations are subjectively perceived as safe (legitimate and stable).

2.2. Social competition

It is another strategy of social change. It is about trying to outperform or surpass the highest status group in the dimension that is valued by both (i.e., “competing” with it). It appears when the person perceives the comparison between the groups as insecure.

Later theories

After the Theory of Social Identity, Turner and his collaborators complemented their postulates with their model of social identification (Turner, 1982) and, later, with the Theory of Self-Categorization of the Self (TAC) (Turner, Hogg, Oaks, Reicher, and Wetherell, 1987).

Bibliographic references:

  • Hogg, M.A., and Abrams, D. (1988). Social identification: A social psychology of intergroup relation and group process. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
  • Scandroglio, B, López, J. and San José, M.C. (2008). The Theory of Social Identity: a critical synthesis of its foundations, evidence and controversies. Psicothema, 20(1), 80-89.