Social identity

The identity in the sense of social identity arises from social categorization processes. Man sees himself as a person, as part of certain groups and as an individual. Group membership connects people with certain values ​​that contribute to their self-worth.

What is the identity?

When we speak of identity in the sense of psychological and physical processes, we are talking about the social identity of people. In cognitive social psychology, the theory of social identity is the most prominent theory regarding intergroup relationships.

Stimuli from the external environment are organized by the human brain into a logical whole and then classified into categories. Medicine has known about stimulus classification since the 1960s. The first works from this period served the theory of social identity as a starting point.

The concept of identity has existed in the sense of social identity since the mid-1970s. Four mutually influencing, psychological processes contribute to a person's social identity (other models of identity describe more, less or different processes, because identity is still filled with a lot of ambiguity).

In addition to the categorization, the identity is formed from social comparisons and the specific social distinctiveness. A person's identity is defined by membership in a certain group and corresponds to a part of the personally developed self-concept.

Function & task

Categorization processes became relevant for stimulus processing in the 1960s. Based on stimulus processing, they also became relevant for the theory of social identity. The categorization processes in connection with identity correspond to social classifications by means of which people make their social environment more transparent and predictable. In the context of the organization of external stimuli, people perceive other people as belonging together under certain circumstances, for example, and group them together.

The social categorization thus corresponds to a structuring of the social environment, which in each case results in an evaluation of the individual categories and thus links the structures with certain values.

Everyone is part of certain social groups and perceives themselves to be part of them. Membership in a certain group is tied to values ​​that a person ascribes to himself as a result of his membership. In this way, social identity contributes to a person's self-concept.

People aim for a positive self-image. For this reason, they usually automatically strive for a positive social identity and thus group membership, from which they gain pleasant values. Therefore, every person differentiates his or her social group from the outside world and sets it apart from it in a positive way. Membership in a certain social category allows people to favor their own group. Other groups are discounted in favor of their own group.

People categorize themselves and other people on different levels of abstraction, but according to the theory presented here, only three of them are relevant for social identity. People classify themselves on the one hand as a human being, on the other hand as a member within a given group and finally as an individual. Identifying as part of a group cancels out parts of the individual identity. The result is a depersonalization in favor of the group. Only through this depersonalization can group phenomena such as ethnocentrism or cooperation be explained. In these processes, the individual no longer behaves individually, but orientates himself in accordance with the group and often orients his behavior on the prototype of the group.

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Illnesses & ailments

Studies have shown that after a negative comparison with another group, groups try to compensate for the negative social identity they created by looking for new social groups for themselves that improve their personal social identity. Direct attacks by a better performing group are also a means of maintaining a positive social identity.

Studies show that preventing group-to-group discrimination leads to a decrease in self-esteem for group members. The reverse influence was also documented. Various psychological problems and illnesses are therefore relevant in connection with social identity.

If a person is a member of a social group and feels their group is inferior to others, that judgment can have serious consequences for the person's self-worth. Normally, the person concerned takes countermeasures in order to improve their own social identity again and thus gain self-esteem. But if neither changing the group nor discriminating against other groups is an option, the person's self-esteem remains tied to a low level.

In the long run, negative self-esteem can encourage anger and aggression. Social problems such as envy and jealousy, sexual problems and inhibitions or strong insecurities often arise. Serious illnesses such as depression, obesity, alcoholism or obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions can also be a result of persistently negative self-esteem.

Even if people do not feel like a member of a social group at all and have the feeling that they do not have a place in any group, this connection has a negative effect on self-worth. At least persistent dissatisfaction is a typical consequence.