# Social identity theory

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

The application of social identity theory to explain and change behaviour.

## Learning objectives

- The application of social identity theory to explain and change behaviour.

## How often is this tested?

Based on OwlsPrep's analysis of official CIE IB_PSYCH P1 past papers (2019–2025): **Social identity theory** appears **21 times** in the last 7 years — **8.3%** of all P1 questions (21 of 228).

Most-tested forms: Essay: Discuss (22 marks) (7), Essay: Evaluate (22 marks) (6), SAQ: Describe (9 marks) (4), SAQ: Outline (9 marks) (2), SAQ: Explain (9 marks) (2).

## Core concept

Social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner) explains behaviour through the groups we belong to. It runs in three steps: social categorisation (sorting people into 'us' and 'them'), social identification (taking on the identity of our in-group), and social comparison (judging our group against out-groups). Because our self-esteem is tied to our groups, we are motivated to see our own group as better — producing in-group favouritism and out-group discrimination, even when the groups are trivial and newly formed. It is widely used to explain prejudice, and to reduce it by reshaping group boundaries.

## 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 allocated more reward to in-group than out-group members, even though group membership was assigned on a trivial basis. — *Shows in-group favouritism arising from mere categorisation — no history, contact or conflict required.*

**Tajfel et al. (1971) Experiment 2** — Participants often chose to MAXIMISE THE DIFFERENCE in their in-group's favour, even when this meant less absolute reward for their own group. — *Shows the drive for positive distinctiveness — the group wants to WIN, not just gain — supporting the social-comparison step.*

## Evaluation (AO3)

**Strength — minimal conditions, large effect** — Discrimination appeared between groups with no real stakes, isolating categorisation itself as a cause — a powerful, much-replicated finding.

**Limitation — artificial and partial** — Allocating points between anonymous strangers is far from real intergroup conflict, and SIT downplays personality and material self-interest as competing explanations.

## Scope

> **note**
>
> Group-based identity and the in-group/out-group bias it drives are the focus. General group influence on individual judgement is conformity (SOC_3).

## Common pitfalls

- **Wrong:** In-group favouritism needs real competition or a history of conflict between the groups.
  - Why it fails: A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.
  - Correct: Tajfel's minimal groups show that mere categorisation into 'us' and 'them' is enough to trigger in-group favouritism — no competition, contact or prior conflict is required.

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From [OwlsPrep](https://www.owlsprep.com) — free study guides for A-Level, IB, AP and IGCSE, written against the official syllabus. Canonical page: https://www.owlsprep.com/study/ib-psychology-soc-social-identity-theory/