One of my favourite social psychologists, Henri Tajfel, made a significant contribution to pychology by propounding the social identity theory.

In this theory, he explains how humans tend to derive a sense of identity & self-esteem from the groups they belong to.

A thread

People hardly think of themselves as unique members, but as member of a group. This group affiliation becomes a source of pride for them and it validates the sense of who they are. It explains why ethnicity, race & religion are sources of self esteem & social identity for people.

There are three stages involved in the development of social identity:

a. Categorisation: We categorise people, using labels and nomenclatures, to define their social behaviour and understand our social environment. Eg Black, white, European, African, feminists, humanists etc.

We derive a concept of who we are by identifying the categories we belong to. Eg X thinks he is black because he has been categorised as black. Group norms become the frame of reference for social behaviour, then we try to evince behaviours that align with these norms.

b. Social identification: This is the stage where we adopt the identity of the group we belong to. This is where you develop loyalty to the group, sacrifice for it, hatred and contempt for outsiders, solidarity etc.

There will be an emotional significance to your identification with a group, and your self-esteem will become bound up with group membership. You will equate an attack on the group to be an attack on your social identity and self esteem. Eg Try criticising a Naija feminist lol.

c. Social comparison: This is the final stage. After categorisation and identification, comparison with other groups ensues. If our self-esteem is to be maintained our group needs to compare favorably with others. Prejudice and stereotypes become inevitable.

Once two groups identify themselves as rivals, they are forced to compete in order for the members to maintain their self-esteem. Eg black vs white, men vs women, Christians vs Muslims, theists vs atheists etc.

It indicates that competition between groups isn’t necessarily about competing for resources or power, but a competition for maintaining social identity to preserve self-esteem.