SIT in cross-cultural psychology

1. Social Identification
Theories (SIT)
Cultural identity and
intergroup relations

2. SIT evolve from social
cognition theories
• Examine the ways people perceive
themselves and others and process
information about in-groups and out-
groups.
• Ethnic and cultural identity form the core
of conceptual frameworks and link self-
definition to group membership

3. SIT and modern, cognitive
psychology theories
• Theories focus on internal mental
processes; how groups see each other;
how prejudice arises; why people leave
certain groups and not others; how
group membership affects self-esteem
• Group level
perceptions, attributions, expectations,
attitudes and values

4. Acculturating individuals
must consider:
“Who am I?”
“How do members of my
group relate to other groups?”

5. Theoretical Perspectives
•Acculturation models and
measurements
•Social Identity Theory (SIT)
-

6. Acculturation and Identity
• Involves the recognition, categorization
or self-identification of oneself as a
member of an ethnocultural group
• Includes a sense of pride and a positive
evaluation of one’s group
• Focuses on broad identity changes

7. Acculturation and Identity
•Balance model of acculturation:
biculturalism is seen as middle-
ground between assimilation and
separatism
•Replaces unidirectional models

8. Modern theories
• Conceptualize home and host culture
identity as independent rather than
interdependent
• Categorical Approach: concerns
maintenance of heritage culture and
relationships with out-groups; examines
acculturation attitudes and strategies
(pg 102, Ward)

9. Core research on identity
and acculturation
• Examines components of identity and how
identity is changed over time; conditions
associated with identity and identity change;
characteristics of the individual such as
age, gender and education, and the
characteristics of migrant groups such as
push/pull motivations and cultural similarity
• Considers policies of receiving society (mono-
or multiculturalism, loose/tight systems)

10. Tajfel and SIT
Three major defining features:
• It’s part of the self concept
• It requires awareness of membership
in a group
• It has evaluative and emotional
significance

11. Self-esteem and SIT
• Involves the recognition that various in/out
groups exist and may be compared.
Favorable/unfavorable comparisons have
consequences for self-esteem.
• A relationship between ethnic identity and
self-esteem occurs only in cases when an
individual consciously perceives ethnicity or
culture as a central, salient feature of identity.

12. Intergroup Bias and
Attributions
In-group favoritism:
• Individuals are more likely to make
internal attributions for positive
behaviors by in-groups and external
attributions for the same behaviors by
out-groups
• Increases when identity in under
threat

13. Responses to
out-group devaluation
Migrants and minorities are often
subjected to negative stereotyping and
prejudicial attitudes by members of the
majority. If perceived as
threatening, individual’s may adopt a
variety of responses to change their
social identities and restore self-esteem.
Table 5.1, pg 105 (Ward)

14. Identity, Acculturation and
Intercultural Contact
• Individuals define, redefine and
construct their own and others’ ethnicity
• When acculturation starts early it
proceeds more smoothly
• Assimilation may proceed more rapidly
in males than females, and women have
more negative attitudes toward
assimilation

15. Cultural Identity Across
Generations
First generation is often
separatist, retaining a strong identity with
heritage culture
Second generation more easily identifies
with host culture
Third generation often emerge as re-
affirmationists with a renewed interest in
ethnic customs, values and behaviors

16. Distinction between cognitive and
behavioral aspects of acculturation
Immigrants and refugees are more willing
to learn new behaviors and skills than
change their attitudes and values
Success in new environment involves skills
acquisition that may be independent of
changes in self-concept and core values

17. Quality and
Quantity of Contact
• Greater exposure to the host culture is
associated with stronger assimilative
responses
• increased length of residence
strengthens host culture identity and
weakens home culture identity
• Perceived attitudes by hosts influence
self-identity

18. Acculturation and Adaptation
Home-culture and host-culture identification
make independent contributions to cross-
cultural adjustment and influence different
adjustment domains:
• Identification with culture of origin is
associated with better psychological
adjustment
• Identification with contact culture in linked
to better sociopolitical adaptation

19. Intergroup Perceptions
and Relations
SIT emphasizes the importance of social
categorization, comparison and in-group
favoritism, yet research supports an
‘integrationist’ preference by migrant groups
Emerging social identities may be negatively
affected by out-group stereotyping, prejudice
and discrimination

20. Attributions and
Stereotypes
• Attributions refer to causal explanations about
human behavior
• Influenced by motivational biases such as the
need to maintain and enhance self-esteem
(internal/dispositional vs. external/situational
factors)
• Self-serving bias: tendency to accept credit for
success and deny responsibility for failure (also
at the group level)

21. Self-serving bias
among groups
Israeli students in the U.S. gave more
internal attributions for Israeli moral
acts and fewer internal attributions
for Israeli immoral acts than Arab
students, and vice versa (Rosenburg
and Wolsfeld, 1977)

22. Intergroup Stereotypes
• Negative out-group stereotypes have
significant implications for prejudice and
discrimination in receiving societies
• Social psychological theory suggests that
increased contact—at least under certain
conditions—may improve perceptions and
relations
• ‘crystallization’ hypothesis: increased contact
may sharpen intergroup perceptions

23. Prerequisites for
positive perceptions:
• Equal status
• Pursuit of common goals
• Contact of an intimate, rather than
casual nature
• Broader social climate supports
intergroup contact
(Amir and Ben-Ari, 1988)

24. Perceived Discrimination
• Associated with less willingness to adopt to
host culture identity and negative outcomes
(increased stress, identity conflict, depression
and social skills deficits)
• Immigrant strategies in response include
assimilation, attempting to pass as members
of the dominant society, selecting alternative
groups for social comparison, reevaluating in-
group stereotypes, social action for group
betterment

25. SIT and Multicultural
Ideology
Most acculturation theories regard assimilation
as an inevitable consequence of migration, which
limits the maintenance of cultural identity in
sojourners.
SIT argues that positive social
comparisons, involving in-group favoritism/out-
group devaluation are a primary source of self-
esteem enhancement—suggesting that
prejudice, discrimination and conflict are
inevitable.

26. “Multicultural Assumption”
The development and maintenance of a secure
in-group identity can lead to greater intergroup
acceptance and tolerance
The sociopolitical context in which intercultural
relations occur involves ethnocentric biases that
favor assimilation as a natural outcome of
acculturation