When self-categorization makes sense: The role of meaningful social categorization in minority and majority members' self-perception.

Abstract

The authors examined the joint influence of meaningful social categorization and relative in-group size on the depersonalization of self-perception. Meaningfulness of social categorization was varied following the fit principle, introduced by self-categorization theory. In Experiment 1, the authors predicted and found that minority members show more depersonalized self-perception than majority members if, and only if, the meaningfulness of the underlying in-group-out-group categorization is high as opposed to low. Experiment 2 further substantiated that a meaningful social categorization affects only minority members' self-perception. Finally, the conceptual relationship between fit, meaning, and identity is discussed.