LEC 5 - SOCIAL IDENTITIES AND POLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY OF GROUPS

These flashcards are designed to enhance understanding of key concepts in political psychology and social identity theory, emphasizing terms and definitions pivotal for understanding social group dynamics.

Minimal Groups Paradigm

A concept in social psychology where individuals are assigned to groups based on arbitrary criteria, leading to favoritism towards their own group.

experiments - dividing money between in-out groups, favoring in-group or harming out-group even if in-group doesn’t benefit

we have tendency to divide world into in/out groups, which impacts our social perception and behavior towards others, often resulting in bias and discrimination.

In-group

A social group to which a person psychologically identifies as being a member.

Out-group

A social group with which an individual does not identify, often perceived negatively.

Social Categorization

The process by which individuals classify themselves and others into social groups.

categories more/less salient at diff points in time

Social Identity Theory

A theory that posits that a person's self-concept is based on their membership in social groups.

striving to achieve sense of positive social identity through favorable comparisons, intergroup discrimination, moving groups, etc

suggests that individuals seek a positive self-image through their social group affiliations and often engage in behaviors to favor their in-group over out-groups.

internalizing perceived status of groups → social identity matters psychologically

EXPERIMENT - undergrad Asian women separated into groups primed w/ either being Asian or a woman then take math test

Asians do better than control group which does better than women b/c of self-esteem being affected by relative status of internalized identities

Polarization

The process by which groups become divided into significantly different factions, often leading to conflict.

Social Mobility

The ability for individuals or groups to move within a system of social hierarchy.

Barriers to Social Mobility

Factors that prevent individuals from moving up the social ladder, which may be legal, cultural, or traditional.

Social Creativity

The strategy of redefining group comparisons to enhance a group's perceived status.

ie comparing wealth with a lower/class group v a higher one to feel better about your wealth

Intergroup Discrimination

The tendency of individuals to favor their in-group over out-groups, often manifesting as bias or prejudice.

Comparative Evaluation

The assessment of one's group in relation to other groups to establish social identity and self-esteem.

reactions to negative social identity

• social mobility

• social competition

• social creativity