Social identity fuses group membership, emotional attachment, and the drive for distinctness.
Evidence
Two major theoretical contributions of the early formulation of SIT are (a) the definition of the concept of social identity, which Tajfel (1974) described as “that part of an individual’s self-concept which derives from his knowledge of his membership of a social group (or groups) together with the emotional significance attached to that membership” (p. 69), and (b) the proposal that people have a fundamental need for a positive and distinct social identity. — Nurit Shnabel and Johannes Ullrich, Identity Needs in Intergroup Relations, 52
Categorization
- DEFINE: Authoritative statement of Tajfel’s definition of social identity — the canonical framing useful to quote in the review.
- XREF: connects to: Group identification centrally involves positive affective commitment beyond cognitive self-inclusion — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 302; Different identity motives drive Mixed individuals toward different target groups. — Anna X. Huang, Jacqueline M. Chen, and Juliane Degner, Being One or the Other, Both or…, 105; Social identity complexity governs who counts as an in-group member (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Salient group membership replaces personal identity with a collective self
#expands(0.75) - Social identity complexity governs who counts as an in-group member
#qualifies(0.72) - Collective identity shifts personal goals toward the group’s welfare
#expands(0.71) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 548 - Group identity is constructed by designating outsiders as others
#expands(0.70)