The Social Identity Theory: characteristics and postulates.

A theory on how the feeling of belonging to the group appears and its link with self-esteem.

In Social Psychology, the Social Identity Theory (SIT) was a fundamental theory for this field of psychology, which served as a precedent for the development of the Social Identity Theory (SIT).It served as a precedent for the development of new research and theoretical currents linked to group behavior and interpersonal relationships.

Here we will know what this theory consists of and which are its most important postulates.

Origin of the Social Identity Theory

Henry Tajfel began his work on categorical perception in the 1950s.. Later, with some collaborators, he developed the experimental paradigm of the minimal group.

This paradigm brought to light the effect of mere categorization, i.e., how groups develop group-discriminatory behaviors only because they are given the premise that they belong to "X" group and not to another.

Turner and Brown, in 1978, coined the term Social Identity Theory to allude to the descriptions and ideas that Tajfel had used to explain the results of his research.

Social identity and personal identity

The fundamental idea of the Social Identity Theory is that an individual's belonging to certain groups or social categories contributes important aspects to the individual identity of the subject. In other words, our belonging to groups and our relationship with them determines to a large extent who we are individually, that is, they influence our personal identity.

Self-concept

Tajfel stated that a person's self-concept is largely shaped by his or her social identity.. This is "the knowledge that an individual possesses that he/she belongs to certain social groups together with the emotional significance and value that this belonging has for him/her" (Tajfel, 1981). (Tajfel, 1981).

In his initial formulations, the author proposed that a person's social behavior varies along a unidimensional continuum delimited by two extremes: the intergroup (when behavior is determined by belonging to different groups or social categories) and the interpersonal (when behavior is determined by personal relationships with other people and by one's personal characteristics).

In the Social Identity Theory, it was also postulated that there exists an individual tendency towards the achievement of positive self-esteem. This is satisfied in the intergroup context through the maximization of the differences between the ingroup (the own group) and the outgroup (the "other" group) in the facets that positively reflect or favor the ingroup.

Social comparison

Through social comparison carried out on different facets, the endogroup will differentiate itself from possible exogroups. This gives rise to the principle of accentuation, which consists of increasing intergroup differences, especially in the facets in which the ingroup stands out positively.

Thus, if the group itself bases its comparisons with the ex-group on facets that are positively valued, the perception of superiority will be generated, the perception of superiority in this comparison will be generated.. In this way, the person will acquire a positive distinctiveness and, as a consequence, a positive social identity will be generated in him/her (and in the group), compared to the exogroup.

If the social comparison produces negative results for the person, he/she will feel a dissatisfaction that will promote the activation of mechanisms to counteract it. In this way, he/she will develop different forms of intergroup behavior aimed at obtaining a positive social identity.

Strategies to obtain a positive social identity

Tajfel proposed two types of strategies to reduce such dissatisfaction and increase positive social identity. Let us take a look at them:

1. Social mobility.

It consists of the person redefining his or her categorical belonging in order to become a member of the higher status group. It appears when there is a belief that the barriers between social categories are permeable. (it is possible to move from one category to another or from a lower to a higher status).

2. Social change

This is the attempt by individuals to develop, together with their ingroup, strategies to obtain a positive re-evaluation of the ingroup. It appears when intergroup barriers are considered impermeable (it is not possible to move from one category to another).

2.1. Social creativity

It is part of the strategy of social change. It involves three specific strategies: seeking new facets of comparison, redefining the values given to certain facets, and changing the ex-group with whom we compare ourselves. It appears when intergroup relations are subjectively perceived as secure (legitimate and stable).

2.2. Social competition

This is another strategy of social change. It is about trying to outdo or surpass the group with the highest status in the dimension that is valued by both (i.e., "competing" with them). It appears when the person perceives the comparison between groups as insecure.

Later theories

Subsequent to Social Identity Theory, Turner and his collaborators complement its postulates with their model of social identification (Turner, 1982) and, later, with the Theory of Self-Categorization of the Self (TAC) (Turner, Hogg, Oaks, Reicher, & Wetherell, 1987).

Bibliographical references:

• Hogg, M.A., & Abrams, D. (1988). Social identification: A social psychology of intergroup relation and group process. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
• Scandroglio, B, López, J. and San José, M.C. (2008). Social Identity Theory: a critical synthesis of its foundations, evidence and controversies. Psicothema, 20(1), 80-89.