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Self Categorization Theory

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In 1971 Tajfel and his colleagues did an experiment that has become an especially good illustration of how little it takes to create social identification, and how easy social identification leads to discriminatory behaviour. This text will revolve around how such identification occur, what consequences it has for both the individual and others, as well as proposed methods to reduce the negative consequences. It is written as a preparation for my upcoming exam in Social Cognition. The 1971 study consisted of two experiments, in which both divided subjects into groups depending on an irrelevant criteria. Subjects were randomly allocated to one of two groups, ostensibly based on their performance on a dot estimation task (experiment one), or their preference for painting by either Klee or Kandinsky (experiment two). They did not communicate with other participants, and had no knowledge of what group other participants were in. Previous studies on social identification, such as Sherif et al. (1961) and Ferguson and …show more content…

The Optimal Distinctiveness Framework (Brewer, 1991) challenges this assumption by arguing that people are motivated to choose social identities that satisfy the need for inclusion and distinctiveness, regardless of whether or not the distinctiveness is positive. Self-Categorization Theory focus on the conditions for and consequences of social identification, whereas Social Identity Theory focus explain the emergence of social categorization and the reasons for in-group favoritism. A social categorization is more likely to be used if it is one that a person uses often or if it fits the context. Whether or not it is relevant to the context depends on if it corresponds to observed differences between people in the situation, or if it is helps to make sense of behavior in accordance to

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