Intergroup Processes

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Intergroup Processes

• Social Identity Theory Intergroup Conflict

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Social Identity Theory and Intergroup Conflict

• Social Identity Theory
• What is social identity?
• How are social identities formed?
• How do we select our social identities?
• Social identity and intergroup conflict
• How / why do social identities lead to conflict?
• How do they perpetuate conflict?

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Who Are You?

• How do you communicate your identity to others?
• How do we establish our identity in any given
  social situation?
• What are the implications of the identities that
  we have?

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Identity as a Continuum

Personal Identity
Social Identity
(Intergroup behaviour)
(Interpersonal behaviour)
Identification by oneself
Identification by others
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Social Identity Theory (SIT)

• Developed by Tajfel (1972)
• Focuses on the groups within the individual
• Social categories become actual human groups
• Awareness of group membership emotional
  attachment to the group are the key in SIT

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SIT continued

• 2 key components
• The belief that we belong to a group
• The importance of the group membership to us
• Levels of self
• Not one personal self but many selves
• The social context dictates which self we
  identify with

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SIT and Self-definition

• Self-definition comes from the social categories
  to which we belong
• Social categories both describe and prescribe our
  attitudes
• As a result of this, we engage in stereotypical
  behaviours

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In-Group Favouritism

• In-group favouritism is likely when
• 1. Membership of the group is important in how
  we define ourselves
• 2. There is opportunity for comparisons with
  other groups
• 3. The comparison with other groups results in
  an ambiguous outcome

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Self-Categorisation Theory

• Focuses on how individuals categorise themselves
• Accentuates the in-group similarities and
  out-group differences
• Can result in depersonalisation, stereotyping and
  collective behaviour

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Group Formation Identity Salience

• Why do we need to identify with groups?
• To gain social structure and security
• To enhance our sense of self-esteem

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Identity Selection and Religion

• Religious belief and affiliation help us develop
  a secure identity (Seul, 1999)
• Religion
• Stabilises individual and group identity (Hans
  Mol, 1976)
• Maintains identity via compliance,
  identification, and internalisation (Kelman,
  1998)

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Social Identity and Religion
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Social Identity, Self-Esteem, Group Loyalty
Cohesion
Group identification results in social agreement
Social agreement enhances self-esteem
Enhanced self-esteem increases group loyalty
Increased loyalty encourages group cohesion
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In-groups and Out-groups

• Individuals perceive others either as members of
  the same social category (in- group members) or
  as members of a different social category
  (out-group members)
• People are classified on the grounds of
  similarities or differences from the self

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In-Group Love, Out-Group Hate
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The Importance of Group Loyalty

• Loyalty is increased if
• There is a threat
• If there is the opportunity for loyalty to
  increase
• National identifications, in particular, are
  strengthened during times of threat.

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Identity and Hostility

• Group identities
• Exacerbate intergroup competition
• Encourage movements for change amongst lower
  power and status groups
• Are implicated in a variety of conflicts
• State violence against internal minorities
  (Staub, 1989)
• Uprisings by ethnic groups against governments
  (Gurr, 1993)
• International conflicts (Keegan, 1993)

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Social Identity and Intergroup Conflict

• Sumner (1906)
• 1. Human social groups are organised into
  discrete in-groups and out-groups
• 2. Individuals value their in-groups positively
• 3. In-group positivity is enhanced by social
  comparisons with out-groups
• 4. Relationships between in- and out-groups are
  often characterised by antagonism and conflict.

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SIT and the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
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Identity Divisions in Northern Ireland
Catholic
Protestant
Irish
British
Unionist
Nationalist
United Ireland
N. Ire remain part of UK
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Social Identity in Northern Ireland

• Presence of threat and conflict has resulted in
  more salient social identifications
• Little, if any, opportunity for identity change
  in Northern Ireland
• Roots of identity in religion make identities
  impermeable

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In Summary

• What is social identity?
• How do we select and maintain our identities?
• Group loyalty and self-esteem
• Application of SIT to a real-life conflict

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Next Week

• Intergroup contact and conflict resolution
• What does social identity have to offer to our
  understanding of intergroup co-operation?

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Recommended Reading

• Ashmore, R.D., Jussim, L. Wilder, D. (2001)
  Social Identity, Intergroup Conflict and Conflict
  Reduction. Oxford, UK Oxford University Press
• Brewer, M.B. Hewstone, M. (2004) Self and
  Social Identity. Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing
• Hogg, M.A. Abrams, D. (1996) Social
  Identifications. London, UK Routledge
• Robinson, W.P. (1996) Social Groups and
  Identities. UK Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers.