Group Identities: The Social Identity Perspective

Abstract

The concept of group identity, and its implications for the self and relation to others are addressed by the social identity approach within psychology. I review this approach, comprising social identity theory, self-categorization theory, and the most important subsequent developments. Social identity theory not only addresses the bases for differentiation and discrimination between groups, but it also views social competition as a means for disadvantaged groups to challenge the status quo, helping to explain social change. Self-categorization theory develops the concept of group identity, clarifying the contrast with personal forms of identity, and extends the realm of application to address a range of classical phenomena within social psychology. These include issues clearly relating to the intergroup context (stereotyping, salience, collective behavior), as well as others where an intergroup dimension has not always been acknowledged (self, social influence, leadership, etc.). Some key extensions and developments of the social identity approach focus on contextual factors that can affect the salience and strategic expression of identity (the social identity model of deindividuation effects), how identity is transformed and radicalized through collective struggle (the elaborated social identity model), and the importance of emotions to group identity and group life (intergroup emotion theory). These extensions help to specify further the precise forms that group behavior may take and the processes responsible for this. The influence of the social identity approach not only within social psychology, but also beyond its borders, points both to the importance of group identity and to the heuristic and explanatory value of this theoretical tradition.