Social+Identity+Theory

Evaluate social identity theory, making reference to relevant studies: Sanjay Siddhanti
 * Social identity theory was put forth by Henri Tajfel
 * o People enhance their self-esteem to try to improve their self-image
 * o Self-image is based on personal identity or various social identities
 * Self-esteem can be boosted by:
 * o Personal achievement
 * o Affiliation with successful groups
 * Social belonging is very important to people
 * Social categorization
 * o The cognitive process that is the force behind social identity theory
 * o Can lead to competition between different groups
 * People who belong to a group identify with that group
 * o Think of other groups as different in some way and do not identify with them
 * o This holds even when people are randomly assigned to groups
 * People exhibit favoritism toward their group
 * o  Discriminate against out-groups
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Social comparison
 * o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Analyzing the benefits of belonging to your group versus the others
 * o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Positive social comparison boosts self-esteem
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Cialdini’s 1976 study supports social comparison
 * o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">College students wear their school gear more often after football wins than after football losses
 * o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">We need a positive self-concept
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Tajfel’s study supports social identity/belonging
 * o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">People are randomly assigned to a group (ex: flip of a coin)
 * o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">They find similarities with their group members and form a bond
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Tajfel’s 1971 Kandinsky versus Klee experiment
 * o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Boys randomly assigned to a group
 * § <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Told they had supposed preference for the art of Kandinsky or Klee
 * o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Identified with their group
 * § <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Liked their group more, but did not dislike the other group at all
 * o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Thus, group identity is not the sole cause of intergroup conflict
 * § <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Social comparison ends negatively only if there is competition
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Social identity theory cannot predict human behavior
 * o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">It also does not address the unique environment/culture of each individual