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Who We Are and Who We Choose to Help (or Not): An Introduction to Social Identity Theory

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Solidarity and Social Justice in Contemporary Societies

Abstract

When are people willing to advocate for social change, and how do we understand their resistance to such efforts? In this chapter, we provide a brief, broad overview of Social Identity Theory (SIT) and then discuss specific social identity processes which increase intergroup discrimination (i.e., distinctiveness threat, group-value threat, internalisation of group norms) and contextual factors which enhance the likelihood of these responses (i.e., perceived legitimacy, stability, and permeability of status differences between advantaged and disadvantaged groups). We then outline how social identities could be leveraged to improve intergroup relations and solidarity. Specifically, we discuss how dual and politicised identities can be used to galvanize members of advantaged groups to act on behalf of disadvantaged groups and provide suggestions for how these identities may be cultivated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Morgana Lizzio-Wilson

  2. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Zahra Mirnajafi & Winnifred R. Louis

Authors
  1. Morgana Lizzio-Wilson
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  2. Zahra Mirnajafi
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  3. Winnifred R. Louis
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Correspondence to Morgana Lizzio-Wilson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Mara A. Yerkes

  2. Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Michèlle Bal

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Lizzio-Wilson, M., Mirnajafi, Z., Louis, W.R. (2022). Who We Are and Who We Choose to Help (or Not): An Introduction to Social Identity Theory. In: Yerkes, M.A., Bal, M. (eds) Solidarity and Social Justice in Contemporary Societies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93795-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93795-9_2

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