• Social Classification
According to the theory of social identity, the cognitive action necessary for the formation of a group phenomenon is social classification action. Humans divide other people into groups similar or different to themselves. When an inner group is formed with other people with the same characteristics, the group of people with different characteristics becomes the outer group. Separation from different groups can be done through different features. Different social classifications can be made in different benchmarking dimensions such as ethnicity, gender, age group or team support (Ashforth and Mael, 1989).
Social classification has various consequences. The social class action increases the distinction between internal
…show more content…
The other consequence of social classification is that the individual makes the behaviors appropriate to the group prototype for the group (Ashforth and Mael, 1989).
• Identity and Behavior
As a result of social classification, the individual's recognition of himself as a member of certain groups affects the identity. According to SIT, there are two different types of identity, namely social and personal identity (Ashforth and Mael, 1989). The social identity includes the meanings and feelings of values that come from the groups in which the individual is included as a result of the social classification, while the physical attributes that distinguish the person from the other group members include characteristics such as individual experiences (Ashforth and Mael, 1989).
The concept of social identity, which is at the core of the theory, includes self images from group
…show more content…
The Self-Classification Theory which follows the theory of Social Identity suggests that individuals classify themselves at different levels. Individuals classify themselves at the group level as a group member different from other group members at the personal level. When this is associated with organizational identification, individuals define themselves at their personal level with their careers, or at the group level, or entirely, with their different subgroups (Tajfel and Turner, 1979). Organizational identification is, unlike social identification, the perception of a person's organizational affiliation. Employees, who are strongly identified with the organization they work with, share the success and failure of the organization (Mael and Ashforth, 1992), becoming "psychologically connected" with the organization by making their self-identification as an organization member. In Ashforth and Mael (1989) studied, the theory of social identity is compared with the theoretical organizational literature indicating the following findings concerning organizational identification;
• The organization is different compared to other organizations (in some ways unique perception) is detected, the potential for identification increases,
• When members of the organization perceive the attractiveness of the organization as a high degree,
Although the concept of identity is recurrent in our daily lives, it has interpreted in various ways.
Identity is a group of characteristics, data or information that belongs exactly to one person or a group of people and that make it possible to establish differences between them. The consciousness that people have about themselves is part of their identity as well as what makes them unique. According to psychologists, identity is a consistent definition of one’s self as a unique individual, in terms of role, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations. Identity tries to define who people are, what they are, where they go or what they want to be or to do. Identity could depend on self-knowledge, self-esteem, or the ability of individuals to achieve their goals. Through self-analysis people can define who they are and who the people around them are. The most interesting point about identity is that some people know what they want and who they are, while it takes forever for others to figure out the factors mentioned before. Many of the individuals analyzed in this essay are confused about the different possible roles or positions they can adopt, and that’s exactly the reason they look for some professional help.
The question ‘who am I?’ raises speculations about who we are as human beings and why we behave the way we do. This is of great interest to social psychologists. One particular theory about this social identity is that it is not fixed or innate but that it is something that changes over time and is constructed through our social interactions with other people. This essay will explicate the idea of socially constructed identities and consider the evidence for and against this view with examples of research studies from both social constructionism (Phoenix, 2007) and Social Identity Theory (SIT) (Turner and Brown, 1978).
What the texts suggest about the relationship between how an individual sees themselves vs how the individual is seen by others, is through the concept of identity. An individual’s identity is shaped by many factors: life experiences, memories, personality, talents, relationships and many more.
What is identity? Often, people confuse identity with personality. While personality describes your personal qualities such as being shy or outgoing, identity involves a combination of different aspects. Culture, language, family, friends, and society are a few of the aspects that helps shape a person's identity. For a person to feel identified, they must share similarities or differences with others. Sharing personality traits is effortless, but identity requires active engagement. Identity also involves a combination of how you see yourself and how others see you. How others see you can be influenced by economic, social, and physical constraints. These constraints cause a tension between how much control you have in constructing your own
Both categories of identity play into how an individual classifies him/herself as independent or interdependent. Self-stereo typing is also used to establish identity and find a specific group one can be associated with. “The [stereotypes] describe the typical characteristic of people in various social groups. They also include information about how a group is different from other groups.” This resurfaces the idea of us versus them. Groups end up in conflict due to their divergent characteristics and differences. After forming an identity, of course an individual will only want to protect their individualistic identity and collective identity to create a complete image of self. If this sense of self is challenged, an individual will often turn to a group seeking reassurance. Individuals are the building blocks of groups and multiple facets that should be considered when analyzing group
Tajifel, H. a. (1986). The social identity theory of inter-group behavior. Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/258189
Dilemmas with identity is a discussion that will persist in both formal and informal settings. The ability to understand the complexity of identity is crucial for creating an environment in which people will no longer dismiss or overlook others, leading them to question the validity of their identity. An improved social environment is also needed to cease the categorizing, labeling, and generalizing of minority groups, and to understand the different methods of analyzing our own
Social identities are identities we have as an individual and connect us to be a part of a larger group. These identities can be race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, religious/spiritual affiliation, national origin, first language or physical/ emotional/ developmental ability, to name a few. Social identities work to define each and every person in the way they identify themselves and how we describe ourselves to others. While there are many different identifiers I will only be mentioning a few as the identities I think about most frequently, identities I think about least frequently, my identities I want to learn more about, and the identities I most strongly identify with are examine.
The social identity theory is a person’s sense of who they are based on their social
Some of the strengths of the social identity theory are that; throughout the years it has supported many empirical studies, it has also demonstrated the social categorization in intergroup behaviors, allowed us to differentiate between social and personal identities and has provide explanations for other areas of psychology (conformity). A weaknesses of the Social identity theory is that its application is restricted in the sense that it has very low ecological validity. Another weakness is that SIT favors situational factors rather than dispositional is not supported by evidence. The social Identity theory can be used to how to explain how we form our social and personal identities in the terms of in and out groups. SIT can also be used to explain why there is conflict between humans and different societies.
Social identity theory can be applied to many different problems and real life situations. It demonstrates the role of categorization in behaviors, and explores how being part of a group affects social interaction in everyday life.
Identity is a person’s socially and historically constructed concept. We learn and determine our own identity through the interactions of family, peers, media and also other connections that we have encounter in our life. Gender, social class, age and experience of the world are the key concepts which plays a substantial role in shaping how we are by facing obstacles in our lives. According to Mead (1934) as cited in Thulin, Miller, Secher, and Colson (2009), identity theory determines
“The concept of identity is a complex one, shaped by individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political contexts. Who am I? The answer depends on a large part on who the world around me says I am.” This is a quote from Tatum’s Who Am I? The Complexity of Identity. Society has certain rules and guidelines if you want to fit in, therefore, shaping our identities. Social identity is a person's sense of who they are based on their group. Race, ethnicity, Age, religion, and sexual orientation, are all examples for social identities.
1987). Brewer’s (1991) theory of social identity known as optimal distinctiveness theory states that people have opposing needs. Individuals feel the need to feel included in a group. This is known as assimilation. Brewer (1991) also argues that people need to feel like a unique individual and this is known as differentiation. Individuals choose to belong to groups to fill their need to assimilate, but then choose to see their ingroups as different from outgroups which allows them to differentiate and feel unique. Because of their need to represent themselves, individuals choose ingroups that they feel connected to and thus subgroups and fandoms are