Self Categorization Theory

One of the most important aspects of life is to belong to a group and there are numerous social groups that individuals can be classified into, whether willingly or unwillingly by others (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Survival is based on the need to fit in with a group and basic human needs are met through group membership (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). The social group that one associates with is called their ‘in-group,’ while all other groups that one does not associate with are called ‘out-groups’ (Tajfel, 1974). One’s in-group shapes how they understand and define the behaviours and mental processes of themselves and others (Kashima, Wilson, Lusher, Pearson & Pearson, 2013). Furthermore, this understanding is acquired and internalized through …show more content…
Self-categorization theory has three components, one is the human identity (superordinate level category of human being), the second is the personal identity (subordinate level of personal self-categorization) to the group and the third is the social identity (intermediate level of self as a member of a social group) (Oakes et al., 1994; Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher & Wetherell, 1987). Social identity depersonalizes individual behaviour, thus the group members are considered less of a unique individual and more of a prototype of that group (Oakes et al., 1994). When an individual’s personal identity is salient, the focus is on the individual as it differs from in- and out-group members (Jetten, Haslam, Haslam & Dingle, 2014). On the other hand, when the social identity or the group is made salient, the individual focuses on assimilation, or their similarities with other members of the group, as well as how they differ from members of out-groups (Jetten et al., 2014). The degree to which an individual identifies with their group can significantly affect and shape their health and well-being in both positive and negative ways (Jetten et al., 2014). One component of self-categorization theory that demonstrates belonging to a social group is called comparative fit. Comparative fit states that individuals are more likely to regard a collection of people as a group when the differences between their in-group are less than differences of their out-groups (McGarthy, 1999). Essentially, individuals who are obese are more likely to identify with a group of other obese individuals than a group of normal weight individuals because the group of obese individuals is more similar to oneself than the group of normal weight individuals. Moreover, by identifying with a group