Summary
This paper explores the relationship between social psychology and social theory by following the development of Social Identity Theory (SIT). It is argued that the current state of SIT is profoundly shaped by a range of intellectual and moral strategies adopted by Henri Tajfel. This “Tajfel effect” manifests itself as a particular form of individualist analysis developed within SIT, coupled with a wholesale exclusion of social structure. Combined together, these tendencies undermine SITs ability to describe how both categorisation and social change arise within a shifting and complex modern social landscape.
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Brown, S.D., Lunt, P. (2001). The Tajfel Effect. In: Morss, J.R., Stephenson, N., van Rappard, H. (eds) Theoretical Issues in Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6817-6_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6817-6_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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