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social science subjects > psychology > social psychology > the self > self-categorization theory

Preferred term

self-categorization theory  

Definition

  • Self-categorization theory describes how the cognitive process of categorization, when applied to oneself, creates a sense of identification with the social category or group and produces the array of behaviors that we associate with group membership: conformity, stereotyping, ethnocentrism, and so forth. Self-categorization theory was developed by John Turner and his colleagues at the University of Bristol and described in a classic 1987 book. [Source: Encyclopedia of Group Processes & Intergroup Relations; Self-Categorization Theory]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/self-categorization_theory

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