Definition
Theoretical approach to intra- and intergroup life emphasizing the importance of positive group distinctiveness (i.e., favorable comparisons to other groups).
Introduction
Social identity theory (SIT) was developed by Henri Tajfel in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In part, his theoretical approach recognized that many other approaches to phenomena such as intergroup relations relied heavily on notions of intergroup competition (largely for tangible resources, such as oil or land) and on individual differences (e.g., authoritarianism) as explanations for group life. Underlying SIT is a simple yet elegant idea: at any particular moment in time, humans categorize themselves along a continuum ranging from a completely personal and idiosyncratic identity (emphasizing the aspects that make us distinct from others) to a completely social or group identity (emphasizing the common aspects shared with ingroup members). In essence this distinction captures one’s conceptualization or...
References
Abrams, D., Wetherell, M., Cochrane, S., Hogg, M. A., & Turner, J. C. (1990). Knowing what to think by knowing who you are: Self-categorization and the nature of norm formation, conformity and group polarization. British Journal of Social Psychology, 29, 97–119.
Adachi, P. J. C., Paul, J. C., Hodson, G., Willoughby, T., Blank, C., & Ha, A. (2016). From outgroups to allied forces: Effect of intergroup cooperation in violent and non-violent video games on boosting favorable outgroup attitudes. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145, 259–265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000145.
Bourhis, R. Y., Sachdev, I., & Gagnon, A. (1994). Intergroup research with the Tajfel matrices: Methodological notes. In M. P. Zanna & J. M. Olson (Eds.), The social psychology of prejudice: The Ontario symposium (Vol. 7, pp. 202–232). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Brewer, M. B. (1979). Ingroup bias in the minimal group situation: A cognitive motivational analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 307–324.
Brewer, M. B. (1991). The social self: Being the same and different at the same time. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17, 475–482.
Brewer, M. B. (2003). Intergroup relations (2nd ed.). Buckingham: Open University Press.
Brown, R. (2010). Prejudice: Its social psychology (2nd ed.). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Devos, T., Silver, L. A., Mackie, D. M., & Smith, E. R. (2002). Experiencing intergroup emotions. In D. M. Mackie & E. R. Smith (Eds.), From prejudice to intergroup emotions: Differentiated reactions to social groups (pp. 111–134). New York: Psychology Press.
Gaertner, S. L., & Dovidio, J. F. (2000). Reducing intergroup bias: The common ingroup identity model. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.
Gagnon, A., & Bourhis, R. Y. (1996). Discrimination in the minimal group paradigm: Social identity or self-interest? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 1289–1301.
Greenwald, A. G., & Pettigrew, T. F. (2014). With malice toward none and charity for some: Ingroup favoritism enables discrimination. American Psychologist, 69, 669–684. doi:10.1037/a0036056.
Hinkle, S., & Brown, R. (1990). Intergroup comparisons and social identity: Some links and lacunae. In D. Abrams & M. A. Hogg (Eds.), Social identity theory: Constructive and critical advances. New York: Springer.
Hodson, G. (2009). The puzzling person-situation schism in prejudice research. Journal of Research in Personality, 43, 247–248. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2008.12.035.
Hodson, G., & Dhont, K. (2015). The person-based nature of prejudice: Individual difference predictors of intergroup negativity. European Review of Social Psychology, 26, 1–42. doi:10.1080/10463283.2015.1070018.
Hodson, G., & Sorrentino, R. M. (2001). Just who favors the in-group? Personality differences in reactions to uncertainty in the minimal group paradigm. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 5, 92–101. doi:10.1037/1089-2699.5.2.92.
Hodson, G., Dovidio, J. F., & Esses, V. M. (2003). Ingroup identification as a moderator of positive-negative asymmetry in social discrimination. European Journal of Social Psychology, 33, 215–233. doi:10.1002/ejsp.141.
Hodson, G., Costello, K., & MacInnis, C. C. (2013). Is intergroup contact beneficial among intolerant people? Exploring individual differences in the benefits of contact on attitudes. In G. Hodson & M. Hewstone (Eds.), Advances in intergroup contact (pp. 49–80). London: Psychology Press.
Hogg, M. A. (2014). From uncertainty to extremism: Social categorization and identity processes. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 338–342. doi:10.1177/0963721414540168.
Jetten, J., Spears, R., & Manstead, A. S. R. (2001). Similarity as a source of differentiation: The role of group identification. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 621–640. doi:10.1002/ejsp.72.
Postmes, T., & Spears, R. (1998). Deindividuation and antinormative behavior: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 123, 238–259.
Rubin, M., & Hewstone, M. (1998). Social identity theory’s self-esteem hypothesis: A review and some suggestions for clarification. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2, 40–62. doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0201_3.
Tajfel, H. (1978). Intergroup behaviour. I. Individualistic perspectives. In H. Tajfel & C. Fraser (Eds.), Introducing social psychology (pp. 401–422). Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Monterey: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Turner, J. C., & Reynolds, K. J. (2001). The social identity perspective in intergroup relations: Theories, themes, and controversies. In R. Brown & S. Gaertner (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Intergroup processes (pp. 133–152). Malden: Blackwell.
Turner, J. C., Hogg, M. A., Oakes, P. J., Reicher, S. D., & Wetherell, M. S. (1987). Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory. Oxford: Blackwell.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Hodson, G., Earle, M. (2017). Social Identity Theory (SIT). In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1185-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1185-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences