Social Identity

Social identity is the part of a person’s self-concept derived from perceived membership in social groups. It shapes how people understand themselves and distinguish their groups from others.

Social Identity Theory: A theory explaining how group memberships shape self-concept and intergroup behavior. It models how group membership becomes part of an individual’s sense of self.
Social Group: A set of people connected by shared membership, interaction, or a recognized common identity. Social identities derive from membership in groups recognized by oneself or others.
Collective Action: Coordinated action by people pursuing a shared goal or addressing a common problem. A shared group identity can help turn perceived common interests into joint action.
Personal Identity: The aspects of self-understanding that distinguish an individual from other people. It emphasizes individual distinctiveness, unlike identity grounded in group membership.
Social Categorization: The process of sorting people, including oneself, into social groups. Categorizing people into groups supplies the boundaries through which social identity takes shape.
Self-Concept: The collection of beliefs and knowledge a person has about who they are. Social identity is the group-based portion of this broader self-understanding.
Intergroup Relations: The ways members of different social groups perceive and interact with one another. Social identities shape how group boundaries organize perception and interaction.
Role Identity: A person’s self-concept associated with occupying a particular social role. Roles such as parent or teacher can shape the self without functioning like group memberships.
Social Identification: The adoption of a group membership as part of one’s self-concept. Identification turns a recognized group category into a personally meaningful identity.
Group Membership: A person’s recognized affiliation with a social group. Membership supplies the affiliation from which a social identity can be formed.

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