What Is Social Identity and How to Make One?




In the first place, what does social identity mean? A social identity is a group defined by an individual's physical, social, and mental traits. Race, ethnicity, gender, social class, socio economic status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, and religious beliefs are all examples of social identities. 

An individual's social identity describes who they are in relation to the group they are a part of. People should endeavor to achieve and sustain a feeling of positive identity through their group participation, according to the social identity theory.

Individual behavior is strongly influenced by social identity and group participation. It determines feelings like despair, team losing behavior, prejudice, and efforts on behalf of one's own group outside of the group.


What is Social Identity Theory?

Identity is a crucial concept to grasp within communities in order to work toward
social justice as a group. We need to identify our identity, a feeling of who we are and where we belong in a complicated and divided environment. 

The Social Identity Theory (SIT), developed by British psychologists Henri Tajfel and John Turner in 1979, states that our ;social identity; inside a group determines our norms, attitudes, and behavior.

According to the notion, the group we identify with has a significant impact on our self-esteem and sense of identity. Identity is a complex phenomenon in which a person self- categorization within a group or membership is analyzed.

The theory of social identity is a social psychology theory that looks into the
relationship between personal and social identity. Its goal is to define and predict the circumstances in which a person considers himself a member of a group.

Cognitive operation

The purpose of social identity theory is to explain how people create and define their place in society. Three psychological processes are central in this regard, according to the theory:

Social categorization

People's tendency to perceive themselves and others in terms of particular
social categories that is, as relatively interchangeable group members rather than
as separate and unique individuals is known as social categorization.

Social comparison

The process by which people determine the relative worth or social standing of
a group and its members is known as social comparison.

Social identification

People generally do not perceive social situations as detached observers, which is reflected in the concept of social identification. Instead, their perceptions of other people and groups are usually influenced by their own sense of self and how they relate to others. The result of these three processes is what is referred to as a person's social identity.


Stimulus

According to social identity theory, social behavior is influenced by both the
individuals character and motives as well as the persons group membership. People like to project a favorable picture of the organizations to which they belong.

It's possible that social identity can be turned into a beneficial force. People are prone to seek out favorably regarded qualities, attitudes, and behaviors that might be perceived as indicative of their in-groups as a result of social identification processes.


Written By - Andria Morais

Edited By - Vanshu Verma

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