Describe Social Identity Theory, making reference to one relevant study.

IB Psychology (SL) SAQ

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Social Identity Theory (SIT) with reference to Abrams et al. (1990)

Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) proposes that an individual’s sense of self is shaped not only by personal identity but also by their membership in social groups. According to the theory, people categorize themselves and others into groups (social categorization), adopt the norms and behaviors of the groups they belong to (social identification), and compare their ingroup to relevant outgroups (social comparison). To maintain a positive social identity, individuals tend to favor their ingroup, viewing it more positively than outgroups, a process known as positive distinctiveness. This can result in behaviors such as ingroup favoritism, prejudice, or conformity.

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A study that supports this theory is Abrams et al. (1990). The aim of the study was to investigate whether people would conform more to the judgments of individuals they considered part of their ingroup compared to an outgroup. The participants were college psychology students who performed a variation of the Asch line judgment task. Confederates, who intentionally gave incorrect answers, were presented as either part of the participant’s ingroup (other psychology students) or outgroup (ancient history students). The results showed that participants conformed significantly more when the confederates were from the ingroup than from the outgroup.

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This study supports Social Identity Theory because it demonstrates that ingroup identification can increase conformity. Individuals were motivated to align their judgments with the ingroup to maintain a positive social identity, enhancing their self-concept and achieving positive distinctiveness over the outgroup. It shows that social identity can directly influence behavior, even in situations where there is no real conflict or tangible gain.

Study

Study: Tajfel et al. (1971) – Minimal Group Paradigm

• Aim: To investigate whether simply being in a group is enough to create ingroup favoritism.

• Procedure: British schoolboys were randomly assigned to groups based on trivial criteria (e.g., preference for abstract paintings). They then had to allocate points (convertible to money) to members of their own group or the other group.

• Results: Participants consistently gave more points to members of their own group, even though the groups were meaningless and there was no personal gain.

Social Identity Theory

Theory:
Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) proposes that a person’s sense of self is shaped by their membership in social groups. People categorize themselves into groups (social categorization), adopt the identity of their group (social identification), and compare their group to others (social comparison). To maintain a positive social identity, they favor their own group (ingroup) and may view other groups (outgroups) negatively, which can lead to prejudice and discrimination.

Social Identity Theory is composed of four key psychological mechanisms:

1. Social categorization – Individuals categorize themselves and others into groups (e.g., “us” vs. “them”) to simplify the social world.

2. Social identification – Individuals adopt the norms, values, and identity of the group they belong to, strengthening their attachment to the in-group.

3. Social comparison – Individuals compare their in-group to relevant out-groups, often favoring their own group.

4. Positive distinctiveness – The in-group is perceived as superior or more favorable than out-groups, helping maintain a positive social identity.

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Social Identity Theory (SIT) with reference to Abrams et al. (1990)

Social Identity Theory, developed by Tajfel and Turner (1979), explains how people’s behavior is influenced by the groups they belong to. According to the theory, people place themselves and others into groups, such as “us” and “them.” This is called social categorization. People then begin to identify with their own group, known as the ingroup, and follow its rules and opinions. This is called social identification. People also compare their group to other groups (outgroups) and usually see their own group more positively. This helps people feel better about themselves and is known as positive distinctiveness.

A study that supports this theory is Abrams et al. (1990). The aim of the study was to see if people would conform more to members of their own group than to members of another group. The participants were psychology students. They took part in a line-judging task similar to Asch’s conformity experiment. Other people in the group (confederates) gave incorrect answers on purpose. The confederates were introduced as either psychology students (ingroup) or ancient history students (outgroup).

The results showed that participants conformed more often when the incorrect answers came from members of their ingroup than from the outgroup. This supports Social Identity Theory because it shows that people are more likely to agree with their own group. They do this to feel accepted and to maintain a positive view of themselves and their group.