Evaluation of Social Identity Theory

There is experimental support for social identity theory.  For example, Tajfel’s series of studies on minimal groups which tested to see if prejudice and discrimination could be created between people simply because he placed them into distinctive groups. He found that the simple act of grouping was enough to induce prejudice.  Similarly, in a series of early studies into prejudice Sherif (1954) found that boys of a similar age and background were quick to become hostile to each other when they were put into two discrete groups during a stay at summer camp.

A further strength of social identity theory is that it provides explanation for real world behaviour.  For example during April 1982 Police carried out a raid on the Black and White Café in the St. Paul’s area of Bristol.  The local population (predominantly black) rioted causing wide spread damage.  Several policemen were hospitalised.  At first it was thought to be a simple case of mob mentality but careful examination by social psychologist Stephen Reicher (1984) revealed that it was much more controlled than that and could best be explained using Social Identity Theory.  The targets of the violence were very specific, for example banks and local authority buildings, police cars and the like were attacked, but nearby houses and community buildings were not.  Reicher argued that the rioting was a result of the local population reasserting their social identity when it was threatened by the action of the police.  They only attacked out group targets.  The out group was anyone or thing that represented  authority.  The violence was motivated by a desire to feel better about themselves by proving themselves superior to the out group.

Furthermore social identity theory can be applied usefully to reduce prejudice by using the common-in-group-identity model (Gaertner 1993)  By re-drawing the group boundary to include rather than exclude the out group, then hostility between the two groups would cease. For example, in the case of a multi-cultural high school suffering from race related violence, researchers switched the students primary social identity from being race members whilst at school to being students of the school.  There was a marked decrease in inter-racial violence.

A criticism that can be made of social identity theory is that it is too simplistic an account of group behaviour.  Prejudice is usually based on historical relationships, rather than simply grouping.   Conflict could be due to a history of competition between the groups. This idea is more consistent with Sherif’s Realistic Conflict Theory which is an alternative theory of prejudice

A further criticism of social identity theory is that by taking a situational approach it does ignore dispositional factors that may lead to prejudice. Perhaps some people are more likely to discriminate because of their up bringing or personality.