Social identity theory

"Social Identity takes into account the several social identities people adopt in their lives and how this influences their sense of belonging to a community."

Interculturalism also draws on the theories around social identity, which was originally developed to understand the psychological basis of intergroup discrimination. The theory is based on the idea that a person has not one 'personal self', but instead is made up of several selves, which depending on the social context are more or less prominent. An individual also has multiple 'social identities', which are the individual's self-concept derived from perceived membership of social groups. The key point here is the individual’s self-perception which, in order to be accurate, requires a high degree of self-awareness based on accurate reflective analysis. In reality, it is likely that many people lack accurate self-perception and awareness, and will therefore rely on some form of external classification or categorisation. It can also be that individuals tend to favour their own group, especially if it is central to their self-definition. By allowing participants to engage with difference, intercultural dialogue can help people increase their own self-awareness and understand how self-perception can be subjective.

Literature review of ICD related concepts (127.52KB)