Social Identity Theory

Words: 1396
Pages: 6
Open Document
Social identity theory is a theory which is intended to explain how people develop a sense of belonging and membership in particular groups, and how the workings of intergroup discrimination work. Social identity theory plays an important role in the study of social psychology. To some degree, everyone is influenced by social identity theory. Social Identity Theory tries to explain such intergroup discrimination in the 'real world' as well as in the circumstance of the minimal groups. The theory claims a process of social identification and positive self-esteem, “People can boost their self-esteem through their own personal achievements or through affiliation with successful groups” (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2008, 150). When a person is …show more content…
The second group I am a member of is my gender group of females. For this group many of the norms are lots of communication such as talking, gossiping or just spending time talking to a friend about a problem. Other norms are being girly, such as putting on makeup, doing hair, getting dressed up in cute clothes, shopping or hanging out with girlfriends, among many others. I identify with this group in every way that was just described, those are many of the norms for this group and those norms are the norms of my group of female friends that I have. Some values of this group are to look good which could lead to competition within the group members to look better than one another, to be the most popular, to have the cutest boyfriend. These are all the norms and values of the gender group of females that I am a part of. My beliefs and values sometimes differ from this group because other members of this group can sometimes become very shallow and deceiving such as talking behind each other’s backs or lying, I am not that type of person and that’s the biggest way I differ from this group is in my personal values for myself to not become shallow like many members of the group of female gender do.
The out-group for my in-group of employees I
Show More

Related Documents: Social Identity Theory

Social Identity Theory Essay

Social identity theory (SIT) aims to resolve some of these problems highlighted with the psychosocial tradition, by producing a social rather than individual focus on identity, emphasizing on the way we compare ourselves to others. Psychosocial Theory is a persuasive model. It is both accessible and relevant, resulting in Erikson being highly regarded amongst psychologists. He has been described as a visionary, providing a basis for the work of James Marcia on different forms of identity. The theory…

Words 596 - Pages 3

Freud's Theory Of The Structure Of Social-Agency Theory And Social Identity Theory

5) Now use your exam questions to test this knowledge further in the exam way. There are 5 summaries covering all the areas of the syllabus. 1) Content Summaries – (focusing on the theories you have to learn for each approach) Approach/ Theory Explanation Evaluation 6 points to describe it each theory 4 evaluations of each one – use either: - GRAVE Or these points to evaluate it: - 1) It is supported by evidence 2) However the methods they use can be negatively evaluated… 3) It has practical…

Words 411 - Pages 2

Psychology: Social Identity Theory Essay

Discuss Factors Influencing Conformity The Social cultural level of Analysis shows that conformity is the tendency to adjust an individual’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviour in ways that are agreements with those of a particular individual or a group, or with accepted standards about how a person should behave in specific situations (social norms). Conformity can be influenced by such factors and those are group size, confidence, self-esteem , unanimity, categorization, ethnicity and culture.…

Words 1000 - Pages 4

My Identity And Me: Social Dominance Theory

My identity and me. 1. Does the article have anything to say about (a) social dominance theory? (b) Social Identity? (c) Integrated threat? If so, what? Social Dominance Theory states that people are always motivated to protect the group. It indicates that human society is ordered by systems of group-based hierarchies and that individuals within those groups are motivated for the most part to behave in ways that maintain those hierarchies (Pratto, Sidanious, & Levin, 2006; Sidanius & Pratto, 1999)…

Words 660 - Pages 3

Social Constructionism, Identity and the Concept of Deviance Essay example

Social Constructionism, Identity and the Concept of Deviance Social constructionist use the term social construction to imply that our understanding of the world in which we live is constructed from the social interactions we have on a daily basis. In reference to identity, social constructionist theory (SCT) proposes that we as social beings actively construct our identities using social tools as the means in which to construct our identities, the foremost one being language. This particular…

Words 1390 - Pages 6

Explain Two Theories Of Identity

1 Summarise two theories of identity and compare their usefulness for explaining the real-world issues discussed in Chapter 1,'Identities and diversities'. Identity is a complicated concept with theories taking different viewpoints to try and define the processes that produce it. Psychosocial identity theory and social identity theory have similarities and differences and vary in their usefulness for explaining real-world issues. PIT is based on formation of individual identity in a historical…

Words 1848 - Pages 8

Major Theories Of Identity's Development

"In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity" Erik Erikson. Our identity is a special identifier inside of the social world and is observed as our own "sense of the self". Identity is an essential aspect of who we are, that consists of our sense of self, gender, race, religion or ethnicity. Our identity locates us in the social world, meticulously affecting everything we do, feel, say and think. Through socialization people acquire…

Words 648 - Pages 3

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink Essay

“On Wednesdays We Wear Pink”: Social Identity Theory and Mean Girls Jessica McLean April 21, 2014 Indiana University Purdue University- Columbus “You know I couldn’t invite you. I had to pretend to be plastic!” “Hey, buddy, you’re not pretending anymore. You’re plastic. Cold, shiny, hard plastic!” Sometimes in life, we feel the need to belong, especially when it comes to belonging to certain groups. There is no better time or example for this than high school. High school…

Words 1687 - Pages 7

Re-Thinking Intersectionality Analysis

Theorizing Intersecting Identities: The Introduction McCann and Kim introduce intersectionality like a kaleidoscope, a shifting prism of differences to examine the mobile and multiple configurations of domination in our lives (pg.163). In the 1980’s, an explosion of writing was recognized from Black women, women of color, and transnational feminist scholars that redirected the White hegemonic feminist theory. This chapter is an archive of challenging debates from various forms of scholarship on…

Words 919 - Pages 4

The Main Ideas of Marxism, Functionalism and Internationalism Essay

Internationalism (social action theory). Are these ideas complementary or contradictory? Sociology is the academic study of individuals and groups in the society. Sociology is all about the ways in which people form the society which they live in and how being a member in society influences each of us in different ways. There are many different points of views in society. Sociology has to study in different perspectives to understand the society a lot better. From interpretation to social behaviour, sociologists…

Words 911 - Pages 4