Social Identity Theory and Self‐Categorization Theory

Social identity theory and self‐categorization theory suggest that people categorize themselves as belonging to certain groups such as nationality, gender, or even sports teams. Social identity theory focuses on how group memberships guide intergroup behavior and influence an individual's self‐concept. Closely tied to self‐categorization is an individual's evaluation of the in‐group. To reach positive evaluations of one's own in‐group, people engage in processes of social comparison. They derogate the out‐group with the aim of increasing their own self‐esteem. Self‐categorization theory proposes that, depending on salience in a situation, either personal identity and interpersonal behavior, social identity and intergroup behavior, or dynamic interplay prevails. These theories have widely been used to explain media use and media effects on people. For example, it has been shown that media users prefer media featuring positively portrayed protagonists of their own in‐group.