1: The Social Identity Theory

Period 4 - Individuals in Context

Tutorial 1: The Self

Definitions & Key Concepts

  • Social Psychology: The study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the presence, actions, and expectations of others.

  • Personality Psychology: The study of individual differences in thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, focusing on how personality develops and influences actions across different situations.

  • Social Self: The understanding of ourselves, the shaping of our identity, and the impact of social influences on our sense of self.

  • Self-Enhancement: The desire to perceive ourselves positively and maintain a good self-image.

    • Better-Than-Average Effect: Most individuals believe they excel compared to others in various domains such as intelligence and kindness.

    • Self-Serving Bias: People attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external ones.

    • Downward Social Comparison: Comparing ourselves to those worse off to enhance self-esteem.

    • Self-Affirmation: Reminding ourselves of our strengths in other areas after a failure.

  • Self-Regulation: The ability to manage thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to achieve long-term goals, which includes resisting short-term rewards.

    • Facilitates resistance to temptations and impulsivity.

  • Self-Presentation: The manner of presenting ourselves adjusts according to context, audience, and objectives, highlighting the adaptable nature of identity.

    • Theory of Social Self: Identity is fluid and modifies based on surroundings.

    • Working Self-Concept: Various facets of our identity manifest in different contexts (e.g., acting professionally at work or being humorous with friends).

Social Media and the Self

  • Social media often leads to unrealistic comparisons, affecting self-esteem negatively.

    • Passive Use: Scroll through feeds without engagement, linked to lower self-esteem.

    • Active Use: Engaging with content can boost confidence and maintain relationships.

    • Self-Enhancement Strategies:

    • Highlighting achievements while minimizing failures.

    • Editing pictures for better presentation.

    • Comparing to less successful peers.

Negative Effects of Social Media

  • Imposter Syndrome: Pressure to live up to an idealized online persona.

  • Comparison Anxiety: Evaluation against others can induce feelings of inadequacy.

  • Addiction to Validation: The need for likes or compliments can become compulsive.

Theories of Self

Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979)

  • Describes identity based on group memberships.

    • Social Categorization: Classifying ourselves and others as