Group memberships satisfy conflicting needs for inclusion and distinctiveness

Evidence

According to ODT (Brewer, 1991), social identity is conceptualized as deriving from a “fundamental tension between human needs for validation and similarity to others (on the one hand) and a countervailing need for uniqueness and individuation (on the other)” (p. 477). Membership in moderately sized groups is considered to be optimal because there is a sufficient number of other individuals in the group, which allows for a sense of inclusion and belonging with other group members. At the same time, however, the group can be used as the basis for distinguishing the individual from nongroup members, thereby satisfying the need for distinctiveness. For example, a person may choose to join a group of sailing enthusiasts because doing so provides a sense of belonging with fellow sailors, while simultaneously allowing the individual to be distinguished from others (e.g., runners). — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 830

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines Optimal Distinctiveness Theory — social identity derives from a tension between belonging and individuation, resolved by medium-sized groups.
• XREF: connects to: Civic group participation can expand or shrink horizons, often simultaneously — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”: The work of avoiding…, 7; Real inclusion in coalitions paradoxically requires marginalized groups to have separate space. — Michelle I. Gawerc, Coalition-building and the forging of…, 204; Interest-group membership functions as much to exclude outsiders as to unite insiders — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 1992