Social identity theory

IB Psychology· Human relationships· 14 min read

1. 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.

2. Key studies

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

📘 Definition

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.

📘 Definition

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.

3. 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.

4. Scope

5. Common Pitfalls

Wrong move:

Prejudice and discrimination need real competition, or a history of conflict, between groups.

Why:

A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.

Correct move:

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).

Going deeper

Social identity theorythe base application of social identity theory is Sociocultural approach SOC_9.
ConformitySIT explains why an in-group's norms drive conformity (HR_3).
Cultural dimensionscultural dimensions are another lens on group identity and behaviour (HR_4).