EVALUATE/ASSESS/TO WHAT EXTENT QUESTIONS
PSYCHOLOGY ESSAY PLANNER (8 MARKS)
TITLE: Evaluate social identity theory
INTRO:
Social identity theory is the view that your behaviour is motivated by your social identity. There is a
process of social categorization where we see ourselves as being part of a particular group, this is the
ingroup where the individual adopts the beliefs values and attitudes of that group. Discrimination
comes about when there is an outgroup who has different believes or attitudes to your ingroup
causing prejudice.
STRENGTH: COUNTER:
POINT: One strength of social identity theory is that there is research to
support it. However, the minimal group
experiment lacks mundane
EVIDENCE: For example Tajfel and Turner (1970) conducted the minimal realism. This means that in
group experiment, where a group of 15 year old boys were asked to real life a task like this would
choose between two paintings, this created an ingroup and outgroup, each not occur and maybe people
group was asked to allocate points to each other and that the points would may be less discriminatory.
be exchanged for cash. it was found that more points were given to the The study lacks ecological
ingroup members. validity as discriminatory
behaviour is not so obvious.
EXPLANATION: This clearly demonstrates that social categorization and
the belonging to an ingroup can cause discrimination towards the
outgroup.
LINK: therefore, social identity theory is a good explanation for prejudice
and shows ingroups and outgroups can be the trigger of favoritism.
MINI CONCLUSION: Overall, although it can be said that there is
supporting research, this research is not necessarily credible as it has low
ecological validity.
WEAKNESS: COUNTER:
POINT: One weakness of social identity theory is that it is ethnocentric. However, this is not so much
a problem as the theory can
EVIDENCE: All of the sample were young schoolboys from Bristol, they be applied to help reduce
were all western, therefore this study may only explain behaviour in prejudice. Spencer and Fein
western society. In 1982 Margaret Wetherell replicated this experiment in (1997) found that by giving
New Zealand. She found that indigenous Polynesian children were students a sense of high self-
significantly more generous in awarding points to outgroup children than esteem (giving them false
the New Zealand children. feedback on an IQ test) they
were less prejudice as they
EXPLANATION: This is important because the Polynesian culture is more rated a Jewish applicant for a
collectivist and the New Zealand more individualistic, so culture does have job equally as favorable for a
an effect on social identity theory. job as an Italian candidate
however this was not true for
LINK: Therefore, social identity theory is not as good an explanation as it if their self-esteem was
does not apply to people belonging to minority groups. decreased.
MINI CONCLUSION: Overall although the theory can’t be applied to all
groups, the fact that it can be applied to real life to reduce prejudice is very
important as it is improving people’s quality of life.
CONCLUSION:
Although it can be said that social identity theory is supported by some research which can be said to be not
credible.
It can also be said that the theory can be applied to real life to improve people’s quality of life.
PSYCHOLOGY ESSAY PLANNER (8 MARKS)
TITLE: Evaluate social identity theory
INTRO:
Social identity theory is the view that your behaviour is motivated by your social identity. There is a
process of social categorization where we see ourselves as being part of a particular group, this is the
ingroup where the individual adopts the beliefs values and attitudes of that group. Discrimination
comes about when there is an outgroup who has different believes or attitudes to your ingroup
causing prejudice.
STRENGTH: COUNTER:
POINT: One strength of social identity theory is that there is research to
support it. However, the minimal group
experiment lacks mundane
EVIDENCE: For example Tajfel and Turner (1970) conducted the minimal realism. This means that in
group experiment, where a group of 15 year old boys were asked to real life a task like this would
choose between two paintings, this created an ingroup and outgroup, each not occur and maybe people
group was asked to allocate points to each other and that the points would may be less discriminatory.
be exchanged for cash. it was found that more points were given to the The study lacks ecological
ingroup members. validity as discriminatory
behaviour is not so obvious.
EXPLANATION: This clearly demonstrates that social categorization and
the belonging to an ingroup can cause discrimination towards the
outgroup.
LINK: therefore, social identity theory is a good explanation for prejudice
and shows ingroups and outgroups can be the trigger of favoritism.
MINI CONCLUSION: Overall, although it can be said that there is
supporting research, this research is not necessarily credible as it has low
ecological validity.
WEAKNESS: COUNTER:
POINT: One weakness of social identity theory is that it is ethnocentric. However, this is not so much
a problem as the theory can
EVIDENCE: All of the sample were young schoolboys from Bristol, they be applied to help reduce
were all western, therefore this study may only explain behaviour in prejudice. Spencer and Fein
western society. In 1982 Margaret Wetherell replicated this experiment in (1997) found that by giving
New Zealand. She found that indigenous Polynesian children were students a sense of high self-
significantly more generous in awarding points to outgroup children than esteem (giving them false
the New Zealand children. feedback on an IQ test) they
were less prejudice as they
EXPLANATION: This is important because the Polynesian culture is more rated a Jewish applicant for a
collectivist and the New Zealand more individualistic, so culture does have job equally as favorable for a
an effect on social identity theory. job as an Italian candidate
however this was not true for
LINK: Therefore, social identity theory is not as good an explanation as it if their self-esteem was
does not apply to people belonging to minority groups. decreased.
MINI CONCLUSION: Overall although the theory can’t be applied to all
groups, the fact that it can be applied to real life to reduce prejudice is very
important as it is improving people’s quality of life.
CONCLUSION:
Although it can be said that social identity theory is supported by some research which can be said to be not
credible.
It can also be said that the theory can be applied to real life to improve people’s quality of life.
