...Consequences of Social Categorization and Social Identity Theories Vernon Smith BA426 Managing Cultural Diversity vsmith003@regis.edu Consequences of Social Categorization and Social Identity Theories Introduction In the modern world, workforce diversity has developed to be among the most imperative elements. Many organizations including Apple Inc. and all over the world have employed diversity managers to help develop effective workforce diversification (Podsiadlowski et al., 2013). The increased interest in workforce diversity is not surprising. As organization move to develop organizational structures including teams and groups as well as multinational workforce, effective communication within diversified workforce becomes imperative for smooth functioning of organizations (Podsiadlowski et al., 2013). Diversity is often described in the context of the beneficial aspects of variety in the workforce. However, the definition of diversity still remains unclear. Van Ginkel and Homan (2013) state that the debate on diversity mostly confuses various forms of a variety of workforce. One way to achieve workforce variety is through social categorization, where group membership is determined by mutual characteristics such as race, sex, age, gender, and status. Legal provisions on diversity have continuously emphasized the creation of representative social categorization approach in the workforce of an organization (Podsiadlowski et al., 2013). In this context, the workforce demography...
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...Introduction People want to feel accepted and connected to other people. Even though everyone’s social lives look different, most people fear isolation and search for their social identity. The Social Identity Theory unpacks the process of gaining one’s social identity and explains the competitive trends between social groups. This paper will first give an in-depth summary of SIT that will be later applied to a movie example that connects directly to the theory. Lastly, I will share my interpretations of the movie and the Social Identity Theory through the lens of my application process. Summary of Social Identity Theory The Social Identity Theory is formed around people’s association with their social groups. A social group is defined as...
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...similarities and differences in the way identity is conceptualised by the psychosocial theory of identity and social identity theory. I will start this essay by explaining both theories, Psychosocial theory and Social Identity Theory mentioning what is understood by identity and answering my essay question describing their similarities and differences. Identity is a major area of study for Psychology. Over the decades many psychologists in the field tried to explain what identity was, and are still to explain how it is formed. Identity is what defines us as human beings, what we do on our day-to-day life, and our interactions within society. Psychosocial Theory Erickson viewed identity as a psychosocial process. A psychological assessment of ‘me’ and a social assessment of ‘me’. For Erikson, society where children and adolescents grow up would have an impact to their identity, therefore his theory was from point of view that identity was a psychosocial process. Erickson argued that we created our identity from a balanced, constant and reliable sense of who we are and what we are to our society, our group community (as cited in Phoenix, 2007, p.53). He developed the sense core identity where an individual would base all his identity building up from our past towards the future. Erikson believed an individual would take their identity for granted if life was good but to the minimal problem this identity would be questioned (e.g. illness or...
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...Social identity theory (SIT) attempts to understand how social categorization affects intergroup behaviours (Tajfel and Turner, 1979). SIT is associated with a number of pioneering studies, most of which rely on the ‘minimal group paradigm’. In recent years, SIT has been explored with the use of additional types of study but I am going to discuss studies using the minimal group paradigm. Such studies are directly relevant to the evaluation of the theory and several have been instrumental in its development. SIT is based on a number of inter-related concepts: social categorization, social identity, social comparison and positive distinctiveness. Social categorization divides the social environment into ingroups (to which an individual belongs) and outgroups (to which the individual does not belong). Social identity is the part of our self-concept based on knowledge of our membership of one or more social groups. It is separate from personal identity – which is the part of our self-concept that derives from the way we perceive our personality traits and the personal relationships we have with other people (Turner, 1982). Whereas personal identity is associated with interpersonal behaviours, social identity is related to intergroup behaviours. Our social identity contributes to how we feel about ourselves, so we seek positive social identities to maintain and enhance our self-esteem. Positive social identities may result from the process of social comparison as we continuously...
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...There are more or less 7 billion people living in this world and very few of them could mark their name by doing some exceptional things in their lives. Some are famous and loved by most of the people while there are some people who are notorious and people dislike them. But majority of the people in this world are simply good for nothing. They come and they die and nobody even notice their presence and their absence as well. (Olson, 2002) If we have to categorize the expression of identity we may find that basically there are two different classes of identity these are social identity and personal identity. Social identity is a collective identity. Social Identity refers to the procedure by which people use to be characterized themselves in terms as well as groups which they share in the company of other inhabitants in the society. (Deaux, 2001) Social identity theory is a prominent theory, which may highlights the way of social identification of the people. The theory of social identity is a theory, which is intended to...
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...Identity theory applies to all creeds and cultures. We all develop understandings about ourselves, the type of person we are and wish to be and indeed do not wish to be. This essay examines the strengths and weaknesses of the social constructionist theory of identity, wherein it is proposed that our identities are constructed though language and social relations. In doing so, we shall also consider the psychosocial perspective, demonstrating that the evidence does indeed support the statement made although not overwhelmingly so. A core component of social construction identity theory is that our identity is continually evolving throughout our lives (Phoenix, 2007, p. 76). Such identity -movement does not stop per se, it is neither fixed nor rigid but fluctuates continually. Our numerous social interactions directly impacts our identity –thinking to such an extent that our identities are constantly shaped and re-shaped as a direct result of these interactions. In fact, social identity theory goes a step further and proposes that we actively create our identities though our language and essentially through the many forms of social communications, voice, written, electronic (tweets etc), (Phoenix, 2007, p. 71). We interact with people oftentimes in the manner which we wish to be perceived by others, not just in what we say but in how we say it, what we write and how we wish to portray ourselves to others all of which is evidenced through our social behaviourisms. In other words...
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...Part 1 By looking at the psychosocial theory of identity and social identity theory we realize that there is many similarities and differences in how they conceptualise identity. Both theories agree that identity has personal and social aspects. The most noticeable difference is that the psychosocial theory looks at how we achieve our individual identities, whereas Tajfel focuses on how we develop group identities (as cited in Phoenix, 2007, p. 62). Looking at each of the theorists’ biographies shows us how each person’s past has influenced their interests. Erikson’s interest is on core identity and lifelong development whereas the Tajfel’s main interest was on how prejudice is produced through group identity. The two theories have different research methods where Tafel uses an experimental research method to gain objectivity in contrast with Erikson seeking a subjective or insider viewpoint. As a result both theories gather different types of data. We then look at how differently our identities is said to develop in each theory and whether the theories view our identities are fixed or allow for change. Our identity is what makes us unique, it is understood to be our own theory of ourselves and it includes the characteristics and relationships we have with other people (as cited in Phoenix, 2007, p. 47). Erik Erikson (1902-1994) was a psychoanalyst and defined identity as ‘a conscious sense of individual uniqueness, an unconscious striving for continuity and having solidarity...
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...or service, Attention through Social influence and Identity (including strengths and weaknesses) • Celebrity Endorsement (social influence) Sophia • Self-perception (identity) Sophia CELEBRITY ENDORSMENT (social influence) social power- the capacity to alter actions of others Referent Power A person admires the qualities of a person or a group; tries to copy the referent’s behaviours Consumers voluntarily modify what they do and buy in order to identify with a referent • Product endorsements • Distinctive fashion statements • Championing causes Aligned messages • In messages to promote consumer behaviours, developers often incorporate images or wording depicting the frequency of the undesirable CB SELF PERCEPTION (identity) Self-concept is a collection of beliefs about one's own nature, unique qualities, and typical behaviour i.e., a collection of mental pictures of the self Weiten Dunn & Hammer 2012 Self identity/ Social identity Actual/ Ideal self OR social image Self Congruency Theory If perception of product’s image is consistent with self-identity, more positive attitude to and increased likelihood of purchasing product Social Identity theory People favour in-groups to enhance their self-esteem Identity in consumer behavior Choosing same products as in-group members facilitates communication of desired social identities Assimilation Product as a symbol of Ideal self Theory of Material Possesions Material goods...
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...of information, are the cognitive version of identities. Self-schemas include organized knowledge about one's self, the cognitive response to the questions of identity. These include the characteristics, preferences, goals, and behavior patterns we associate with ourselves. Group schemas (analogous to stereotypes) include organized information about social positions and stratification statuses, such as gender, race, age, or class. Because the social positions we occupy have immediate consequences for our sense of self, group schemas play a major part in processes of identification. Self and group schemas illustrate both advantages and disadvantages of categorisation systems. They allow us to summarize and reduce information to key elements; thus, they also entail losing potentially valuable information. And, categorisations are almost always accompanied by systems of evaluation of some categories as better or worse. Schemas are not just perceptual phenomena; they can serve as explanatory devices and justifications of social relationships (Tajfel 1981). Thus, social identities are embedded in sociopolitical contexts. Social identity theory focuses on the extent to which individuals identify themselves in terms of group memberships (Tajfel & Turner, 1986). The central tenet of social identity theory is that individuals define their identities along two dimensions: social, defined by membership in various social groups; and personal, the idiosyncratic attributes...
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...psychologists believe another cause of the hooliganism is to reflect the search of high levels of emotional arousal after enduring long periods of boredom. The importance of this issue is demonstrated by the large number of incidents where several deaths have been the result of violence. One explanation for the occurrence of football hooliganism is the Frustration-Aggression theory (Freud and Dollard et al). Freud believed that when people get frustrated they displace it onto a scapegoat and not onto the source of the frustration. Dollard developed this by suggesting that frustration leads to aggression, which is what people displace onto another target. With relevance to football hooliganism, fans may become frustrated after either losing a game or watching poor play from players. Moreover, the fans are unable to relieve their aggression on the players themselves because they have legitimate power which prevents most people from expressing violence towards them. Therefore, they displace their aggression onto a scapegoat, which in this instance is the opposing team’s fans. A weakness of this theory is that Berkowitz showed that frustration does lead to aggression, but not specifically to prejudice. Thus there may be other factors involved such as pre-existing prejudice which is...
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...Discuss the social identity issues present in the case Social Identity theory basically is a theory that explains self-concept (what a person thinks about themself and how they analyze themselves) to be a combination of personal identity – their unique characteristics and social identity – their membership in different social groups. There are numerous Social Identity issues in the case. Firstly, Catherine’s father is an accountant which is one of the factors that she chooses to be an accountant as well. Another identity is that she is studying and graduating from Flagship University while getting good grades and being involved in “highly regarded” student clubs. Individuals tend to identify with groups that have high status since it enables them to have higher self-enhancement (the view of being successful, competent and valued). LJI is another big social identity for Catherine. The prestigious reputation coupled with elegant offices allows her to leverage the Company as an identity for herself. Catherine’s social identity is also shaped by the professional appearance of other employees in the office. Her involvement in baseball, soccer and picnics with the Company further solidifies this identity. She also joins AICPA and other professional organizations in order to be associated with individuals similar to her. Her social identity is further enhanced when people in these professional organizations are impressed by the fact that she works for LJI. This identity of an...
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...Apply your knowledge of stereotyping and social identity theory to explain what went wrong here. [Provide an overview of stereotyping and whether it applies to the scenario.] It may seem that this case involves stereotyping—specifically, that Syd Gilman has stereotyped Rochelle Beauport. In fact, there is no apparent evidence of this stereotyping. From all accounts, Gilman is sincere in assigning Beauport to the marketing research coordinator job. He seems to be providing, or believes that he is providing a good career opportunity for further advancement. If stereotyping exists in this case, it involves Rochelle Beauport’s stereotyping of Syd Gilman as a typical sexist and racist white male. [Thoroughly discuss social identity theory and how it applies to the case study.] Social identity theory (McShane & Steen, 2012) applies to this case in that Rochelle Beauport has an explicit sense of her social identity as a woman and member of a visible minority in a management position. This likely occurs because these are distinctive features for someone in management. Rachel’s strong social identity may have contributed to her perception of her manager, Syd Gilman—namely, that she grouped him in with other men in management positions. In other words, Beauport may have engaged in categorization, homogenization, and differentiation (McShane & Steen, 2012). What other perceptual error is apparent in this case study? There is evidence of the false-consensus effect [define] (McShane...
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...Use concepts and ideas from the social approach to explain the key issue you have studied (12 marks) The key issue I have studied is the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib. Abu Ghraib is a prison in Iraq and was used by the Iraqi government as a prison for many years. When the Iraqi government was removed from power, the prison was used to hold Iraqi detainees, who were guarded by soldiers from the USA. In April 2004 it was made public knowledge that the detainees were being tortured and dehumanised by the American soldiers. Newspapers were filled with photographs and descriptions of the torture of the Iraqi detainees and there was public disapproval of what was evidently intolerable treatment inflicted on them. One theory that could be used to explain the issue is Milgram’s agency theory of obedience. This theory could be used because the soldiers are trained to be agents of authority and believe they have a duty to protect America as agents of society thus as soldiers, they would be agents obeying the orders rather than autonomous individuals making their own decisions. The soldiers would not have been in an autonomous state, and would have therefore be more able to carry out the orders given to them by an authority figure. This may have been because the soldiers were under the impressions that they would not be held responsible for their actions hence they thought it was acceptable to torture the Iraqi detainees as well as degrading them in the process. ...
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...Use open systems theory to explain what occurred at Napanee Beer Co. Begin with a brief description of open systems theory as it applies to both the external and internal environments. There are various types of theories that people may look at to describe how business organizations work. In this text, a main theory that is used is the open systems perspective. This theory helps companies and consumers understand how open systems depend on resources such as raw materials, equipment and job applicants in order to transform inputs to outputs (McShane & Steen, 2012, pp. 5). The external environment is a place where companies may come up with particular laws and regulations, which determine how companies are run. Resources are also used to create the output, which is then used, in the external environment. Internal environment consists of various teams and departments also known as subsystems. An example presented in the book is the Canadian Tire store. The store in Smiths Falls is a subsystem of the Canadian tire chain but the store itself has various subsystems as well (McShane & Steen, 2012, pp. 6). In this particular case, Napanee Beer Co. operates with dependence on the beer production department. This is a prime example of an open systems perspective. An open system relies on other environments for necessary materials to run a business. Napanee Beer Co. had a great marketing plan but did not know how to thoroughly execute it. Their main resource is the production department...
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...natural formations that arise in response to the need for social contact. B) They lack clearly defined structures and roles for their members. C) They have negligible impact on employee performance and behavior. D) A group of people who come together to protest against a new law make up a formal group. E) They are marked by stipulated behaviors in pursuit of organizational goals. D3) An informal group is characterized by the ________. A) stipulation of expected behaviors by the organization B) predetermined designation of tasks of members C) pursuit of particular organizational goals D) fulfillment of the need for social contact E) creation of timelines and rationale E4) Which of the following differentiates between formal and informal groups? A) The timeline of reference for formal groups is greater than that for informal groups. B) The impact of formal groups on organizational performance is less than that of informal groups. C) Formal groups pursue the goal of social contact, while informal groups have definite organizational goals to attain. D) Formal groups are typically smaller in size when compared to informal groups. E) Formal groups involve clearly defined tasks and roles, while informal groups are neither formally structured nor organizationally determined. C5) Our tendency to take personal pride or offense for the accomplishments of a group we are a part of is the territory of the ________ theory. A)...
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