HOW GROUP LIFE SHAPES WHO WE ARE Hey everyone, today we're talking about one of social psychology's most fascinating theories—social identity theory. Developed in the 1970s and 80s, this theory dives into why we humans have such a deep need to be part of groups and how the groups we identify with shape our thinking and behavior in all sorts of surprising ways. Let's get into it! What Is Social Identity? Social identity refers to the part of your self-concept that comes from the groups you feel you belong to. These can be big categories like gender, race, religion, or nationality, or smaller groups like your friend squad, company softball team, or even just fans of your favorite band. When you feel a group is an important part of who you are, you've incorporated that group membership into your social identity. According to social identity theory, identifying with certain groups over others provides us with meaning, purpose, belonging, and continuity. It satisfies core social needs and desires to have a place in the world and feel good about ourselves. Our social identities shape our perspectives and how we navigate life. The Scoop on the Social Identity Approach Social identity theory was developed by psychologists Henri Tajfel and John Turner as part of a broader "social identity approach." This approach includes a related theory called self-categorization theory, which focuses more on the mental processes of categorizing people into groups. Together, these theories argue that dividing the world into "us" versus "them" changes the way we perceive ourselves, others, and interactions between our groups. Identity shapes mindsets and behaviors! Key Concepts and Ideas Some core bits of knowledge from social identity theory include:  We strive for positive identities, so we join groups that boost our self-esteem. We compare our groups positively against others.  Identifying with groups provides a sense of meaning, belonging, and continuity in who we are.  We categorize people as either in our ingroup or some outgroup. This sparks ingroup favoritism.  Different situations make different group identities feel more important and prominent to us.  If our group identity feels unsatisfying, we may leave the group or try to improve our group's standing. Liking Our Ingroups, Disliking Outgroups One big takeaway is that categorizing people into groups—even arbitrarily—is enough to make us favor our own group over others. We show ingroup favoritism, positively biased towards those we categorize as being in our group. Often, we also show outgroup negativity, more readily discriminating against and derogating outsiders. Competing for Status Social identity theory proposes groups engage in competition and comparison, viewing other groups as adversaries and wanting positive status compared to them. This fuels prejudice, discrimination, and conflict between groups in society as groups jockey for power and position. Of course, groups don't always act this way, and the theory has its limits. But in general, it provides great insight into why we build communities, how this changes mindsets, and some of the paradoxes of human behavior! More to come as we continue exploring research on this fascinating topic.