Social identity theory

• Stages of social identity theory

  1. Categorization

  2. Identification

  3. Comparison
• Categorization

  Observing the world and recognizing that people are divided into different groups based on religion, nationality, physical abilities, etc.
• Identification

  Looking at yourself and how you identify, which can be fluid and limitless (e.g. gender, sexuality, religion)
• Identifying with a group can influence how we mold ourselves to fit in (e.g. fashion, hairstyles, car choice)
• Comparison

  Comparing ourselves and our group to outsiders, leading to an 'us vs. them' mentality
• Within groups, people can move up or down the ranks and be categorized into even smaller subgroups