Social identity theory: past achievements, current problems and future challenges

Abstract

This article presents a critical review of Social Identity Theory[ Its major contributions to the study of inter`roup relations are discussed\ focusin`on its powerful explanations of such phenomena as in`roup bias\ responses of subordinate `roups to their unequal status position\ and intra`roup homo`eneity and stereotypin`[ In addition\ its stimulative role for theoretical elaborations of the Contact Hypothesis as a strate`y for improvin`inter`roup attitudes is noted[ Then _ve issues which have proved problematic for Social Identity Theory are ident! i_ed] the relationship between `roup identi_cation and in`roup bias^the self!esteem hypoth! esis^positivene`ative asymmetry in inter`roup discrimination^the effects of inter`roup similarity^and the choice of identity strate`ies by low!status `roups[ In a third section a future research a`enda for the theory is sketched out\ with _ve lines of enquiry noted as beinp articularly promisin`] expandin`the concept of social identity^predictin`comparison choice in inter`roup settin`s^incorporatin`affect into the theory^mana`in`social identities in multicultural settin`s^and inte`ratin`implicit and explicit processes[ The article concludes with some remarks on the potential applications of social identity principles[ Copyri`ht 1999 John Wiley + Sons\ Ltd[ New centuries*and new millennia even more so*often prompt re~ections on how far we have come and how far "and where# we have yet to go[ I want to use the opportunity provided by this Agenda 1999 series to engage in such a reappraisal of one of social psychology|s pre!eminent theoretical perspectives\ Social Identity Theory "SIT#[ I use the word {pre!eminent| advisedly because there can be no question that social identity concepts are widely di}used and extensively employed as explanatory tools throughout our discipline[ This can be seen from the frequency of references to SIT and related topics in our major journals which seem to have increased linearly over the past twenty years "Abrams + Hogg\ 0887^Brown + Capozza\ 1999#\ from the popularity of {social identity| as key words in conference proceedings on both sides of the Atlantic "e[g[ meetings of the European Association of Experimental