Social identity theory Study Guide

📖 Core Concepts Social identity – the part of self‑concept that comes from belonging to a social group. Interpersonal‑Intergroup Continuum – behaviour ranges from purely personal (based on individual traits) to purely intergroup (driven only by group membership). Real situations sit somewhere in‑between. Positive distinctiveness – the innate drive to see oneself and one's group in a favourable light. Strategic routes to distinctiveness – individual mobility, social creativity, and social competition are the three ways people try to achieve a positive social identity. Key structural cues – perceived status differences, legitimacy, stability, and permeability of group boundaries shape which end of the continuum dominates and which strategy is chosen. 📌 Must Remember Founders: Henri Tajfel & John Turner, 1970s‑80s. Social identity ≠ general categorization – SIT focuses on intergroup processes, not all categorization. Strategy selection rule: Permeable boundaries → Individual mobility. Impermeable + stable status → Social creativity. Impermeable + unstable status → Social competition. Ingroup favoritism = preferential treatment of own group, even in minimal groups. Self‑esteem hypothesis – mixed evidence; SIT does not assume identification automatically raises self‑esteem. SIT‑lite – the mistaken view that identification always yields bias; bias only appears under specific status/legitimacy threats. 🔄 Key Processes Assess structural cues – evaluate status, legitimacy, stability, permeability. Determine motivation – need for positive distinctiveness. Select strategy (mobility / creativity / competition) based on step 1. Execute behavior – mobility: leave group; creativity: re‑define dimensions or out‑group; competition: direct challenge on shared values. 🔍 Key Comparisons Individual Mobility vs. Social Creativity Mobility: group boundaries permeable; goal = personal advancement. Creativity: boundaries impermeable & status stable; goal = re‑frame comparison. Social Creativity vs. Social Competition Creativity: status stable; change comparison dimension. Competition: status unstable; direct conflict on shared values. SIT‑lite vs. Full SIT SIT‑lite: assumes identification → bias always. Full SIT: bias conditional on perceived status threat, legitimacy, stability. ⚠️ Common Misunderstandings “Any group identity = ingroup bias.” Bias emerges only when structural cues signal threat or illegitimacy. “SIT predicts behavior without context.” Predictive power depends on detailed knowledge of status, legitimacy, stability, and permeability. “Self‑esteem always rises with group identification.” Empirical support is mixed; self‑esteem may stay unchanged or even drop if the group is low‑status and perceived as illegitimate. 🧠 Mental Models / Intuition “Permeability‑Stability Switch” – picture a traffic light: Green (permeable) → exit the road (mobility). Yellow (stable but stuck) → take a side‑street (creativity). Red (unstable) → push the car forward (competition). Continuum Slider – imagine a slider between “Me” and “We”. Structural cues push the slider toward the “We” side, increasing intergroup bias. 🚩 Exceptions & Edge Cases Highly permeable but illegitimate status → individuals may still stay and use creativity rather than mobility. Stable status with high legitimacy → bias may be minimal despite low‑status membership. Minimal groups can produce ingroup favoritism without real status differences, showing that mere categorization can trigger bias. 📍 When to Use Which Exam question on strategy choice: Look for cues about permeability (ease of moving) and status stability/legitimacy. Choose mobility, creativity, or competition accordingly. Predicting ingroup bias: Check whether the scenario includes perceived threat, illegitimacy, or instability of the hierarchy. Applying SIT vs. Self‑Categorization Theory: Use SIT for motivation (why bias occurs); use self‑categorization for cognitive processes (how personal vs. social identity is activated). 👀 Patterns to Recognize “Permeable → exit” pattern appears in questions describing open membership criteria. “Stable hierarchy + low status → re‑label” pattern signals social creativity. “Unstable hierarchy + low status → conflict” pattern signals social competition. Minimal‑group setups always cue ingroup favoritism regardless of real‑world relevance. 🗂️ Exam Traps Distractor: “Ingroup bias always follows identification.” – wrong; bias is conditional. Distractor: “Mobility is used when status is unstable.” – reversed; mobility needs permeable boundaries. Distractor: “Self‑esteem always rises with positive distinctiveness.” – mixed evidence; not a core SIT claim. Distractor: “SIT predicts all intergroup behavior.” – SIT focuses on intergroup processes, not every categorization scenario. --- Use this guide to quickly locate the cue (permeability, stability, legitimacy) that determines the strategy or bias predicted by Social Identity Theory.