Social Identity Theory and Intergroup Conflict in Northern Ireland

Author(s):  
Neil Ferguson ◽  
Shelley McKeown
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Columbus ◽  
Isabel Thielmann ◽  
Ingo Zettler ◽  
Robert Böhm

Participation in intergroup conflict is often framed as a matter of ‘in-group love’ or ‘out-group hate’. Indeed, theoretical accounts including social identity theory and parochial altruism suggest that such group-based preferences are inextricably linked. According to this view, individuals engage in intergroup conflict, including harmful behaviour towards out-group members, in order to improve the relative standing of their in-group. However, individuals may also engage in intergroup conflict to reciprocate beneficial behaviour from their in-group members or harmful behaviour from out-group members. We elicited both preferences towards in-group and out- group members and beliefs about in-group and out-group members’ behaviours prior to playing an experimental conflict game with natural groups (N = 973). In this game, individuals could engage in costly behaviour to either benefit their in-group (without consequences to the out-group) or to both benefit their in-group and harm the out-group. In this setting, both preferences and beliefs contributed to explaining in-group beneficial and out-group harming behaviour. However, beliefs played an overall stronger role than preferences in explaining behaviour. This suggests that participation in intergroup conflict is better explained by positive and negative reciprocity than purely by group-based preferences.


2000 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Esler

AbstractThis article explores the Parable of the Good Samaritan in its immediate context (Luke 10:25-37), a central New Testament passage, both to assess its meaning for Luke's audience and also to suggest its pertinence to contemporary interest in reducing intergroup tension and conflict, especially between ethnic groups. The article first discusses social identity theory, which was developed by Henri Tajfel et al. and which deals with how groups provide their members a valued sense of identity through (often violent) differentiation from other groups. After next describing the violent history of the intergroup relationship between Judeans and Samaritans, as reflected in New Testament passages such as Luke 9:51-55, the article then presents an analysis of Luke 10:15-37 aimed at determining how Jesus uses the parable to subvert the connection between Judean group identity and the Mosaic law and to propose a new approach to moral behaviour. These exegetical results are then analysed in the light of three approaches to reducing intergroup conflict (crossed categorization, recategorization and decategorization) and the latter is found to be most analogous to the approach taken by the Lucan Jesus. The conclusion suggests the relevance of the parable to contemporary efforts to eliminate intergroup conflict.


2021 ◽  
pp. 155-167
Author(s):  
Joe Ungemah

This chapter tells the story of Sherif’s Robbers Cave experiment, where a group of boys were invited to a false summer camp to experience group dynamics in action. Split into two groups, conflict was purposely created and dispelled across a series of coordinated events, highlighting just how hardwired group designations are in the human psyche. The chapter continues by looking at The Troubles of Northern Ireland through the lens of social identity theory, which explains how social mobility, group categorization, and self-esteem influence the pervasiveness of group conflict. Together, these examples demonstrate that the creation of superordinate goals, blurring of social lines, and reducing the importance of group differentiators can have a marked impact on prejudice and unite people of different backgrounds.


2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jillian C. Banfield ◽  
Craig W. Blatz ◽  
Katherine B. Starzyk ◽  
Michael A. Ross

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayoub Bouguettaya

In this paper, the interaction between relevant group membership (i.e. gender) and context on leader perceptions was analysed within the paradigm of social identity theory. It was hypothesised that sharing group membership with a leader would result in to more positive ratings of a leader, while context would change how leaders were viewed depending on how much they embodied group values in relation to other leaders. The issue of contention to be contrasted between leaders was gender inequality. This context effect pattern was predicted to be different for males than females; males were believed to rate a leader more positively when the leader expressed a contextually more dismissive view, while females were predicted to rate a leader better when the leader expressed a contextually more proactive view. The hypotheses about the main effects of gender and context were supported; however, the results for the interaction were mixed in support. Gender and context did significantly interact, but it was not always in the directions predicted. Further research into this interaction is needed.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeeshan Ahmed Bhatti ◽  
Ghulam Ali Arain ◽  
Hina Mahboob Yasin ◽  
Muhammad Asif Khan ◽  
Muhammad Shakaib Akram

PurposeDrawing on social identity theory and prosocial behaviour research, this study explores how people's integration of their offline and online social activities through Facebook cultivates their Facebook citizenship behaviour (FCB). It also offers further insight into the underlying mechanism of offline and online social activity integration - FCB relation by investigating people's social identification with their offline and online social groups as possible mediators.Design/methodology/approachBased on social identity theory (SIT) literature, community citizenship behaviour and offline-online social activity integration through Facebook, we developed a conceptual model, which was empirically tested using data from 308 Facebook usersFindingsThe results confirm that the participants' offline-online social activity integration via Facebook is positively linked to their FCB. Further, the integration of offline and online social activity through Facebook positively affects how a person identifies with their offline and online social groups, which in turn causes them to display FCB. In addition, offline/online social identification mediates the integration – FCB relation.Practical implicationsIn practice, it is interesting to see people's tendency towards altruistic behaviours within groups they like to associate themselves with. Those who share their Facebook network with their offline friends can use such network to seek help and support.Originality/valueFrom a theoretical perspective, unlike past research, this study examines how individuals' offline-online social activity integration via Facebook helps them associate with groups. In addition, this study investigates social identification from an offline and online perspective.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torsten Schmidts ◽  
Deborah Shepherd

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use social identity theory to explore factors that contribute to the development of family social capital. Effects are investigated both for the family and the business. Design/methodology/approach – A single in-depth case study focussing on the family unit was coducted within a fourth-generation family business involved in the arts retailing. Findings – The findings suggest that social identity theory is a useful lens to explore the development of family social capital. The six themes identified highlight that there is a normative and an affective dimension, leading to family members’ desire to uphold the status of the business. Evidence suggests that the normative factors may be both positively and negatively related to the development of family social capital, due to their potentially restrictive nature. Originality/value – The paper’s findings imply that social identity can contribute to understanding family dynamics. Evidence highlights various factors for family members that are not involved in the family business to uphold its status. This is attributed to the emotional significance of the business to the family’s identity. Furthermore, this paper suggests that the strong focus on norms and values, which developed gradually, may have adverse effects on the identification with the business and the willingness to uphold its status. Propositions are offered to provide guidance for future research to investigate this controversial evidence regarding the impact of value orientation on family social capital.


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