# Social identity theory

> IB Psychology · IB Psychology 2027 First Assessment
> Source: https://www.owlsprep.com/study/ib-psychology-hr-social-identity-theory/

The application of social identity theory to explain and change group behaviour(s).

## Learning objectives

- The application of social identity theory to explain and change group behaviour(s).

## How often is this tested?

Based on OwlsPrep's analysis of official CIE IB_PSYCH P2 past papers (2019–2025): **Social identity theory** appears **4 times** in the last 7 years — **1.4%** of all P2 questions (4 of 288).

Most-tested forms: Essay: Discuss (22 marks) (4).

*Small sample — indicative only.*

## Core concept

Social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner) explains group behaviour through the groups we belong to. We categorise people into in-groups ('us') and out-groups ('them'), take on the identity of our in-groups, and then compare our group favourably against others to protect our self-esteem — a drive for positive distinctiveness. This can produce in-group favouritism and out-group discrimination even between arbitrary groups, and it is applied both to explain and to reduce prejudice and intergroup conflict.

## Key studies

IB Psychology answers must be supported by named studies. Learn these to cite as evidence:

**Tajfel et al. (1971) Experiment 1** — Using the minimal group paradigm, participants showed in-group favouritism and out-group discrimination when allocating rewards, even though group membership was trivial. — *Shows mere categorisation — no history, contact or competition — is enough to trigger intergroup bias, the core of SIT.*

**Tajfel et al. (1971) Experiment 2** — Participants preferred to maximise the DIFFERENCE in favour of their in-group even at the cost of their own group's absolute profit. — *Evidences positive distinctiveness — groups seek to be better than out-groups, not merely to gain.*

## Evaluation (AO3)

**Strength — powerful and applicable** — The minimal group finding is striking and widely replicated, and SIT is applied to reduce prejudice by building shared or superordinate identities.

**Limitation — scope & artificiality** — Minimal groups are highly artificial, and SIT explains WHEN bias appears better than the full depth of real conflict, which also involves realistic competition over resources, history and emotion.

## Scope

> **note**
>
> SIT applied to explain and change group behaviour is the focus; the base theory is SOC_9. Realistic conflict theory and conflict-resolution styles are related origins-of-conflict factors for the same context questions, not this card.

## Common pitfalls

- **Wrong:** Prejudice and discrimination need real competition, or a history of conflict, between groups.
  - Why it fails: A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.
  - Correct: Tajfel's minimal group studies show that mere categorisation into arbitrary groups is sufficient to produce in-group favouritism — competition is not required (that is realistic conflict theory's separate claim).

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