My Identity

1
My Identity

• Me versus We

2
Elements of Individual Identity

• Personality identity
• Part of the self-concept that an individual
  believes is unique to the self
• Reflected in personality, attitudes, opinions

3
Elements of Individual Identity

• Social identity
• Part of individuals self-concept that is based
  on membership in specific groups
• Accepted as a description of oneself
• Shared with others who have or are believed to
  have some characteristics in common

4
Elements of Social Identity

• Category or membership group ascribed to an
  individual
• Ascribed to an individual ethnicity, sex, or
  achieved doctor, lawyer, Republican, UTA student,
  Management major
• Belief that that one shares characteristics with
  members of that group
• Physical characteristics, behavioral
  characteristics, attitudes, opinions, common fate

5
Elements of Social Identity

• Elements that influences the social identity how
  we evaluate our categorical membership
  (affectively feel)
• Our fit with other category members
• Non-category members perceptions of the value of
  category membership
• The importance we attach to that category of
  membership to our overall self-concept

6
Strength of Social Identity

• Strength of an individuals social identity with
  a group (social identification)
• Glue that holds the group together
• Extent that a person sees himself or herself as
  representative of that particular group

7
Strength of Social Identity

• Positively influences
• Intra-group cohesion
• Cooperation, helping behavior, and positive
  evaluation of the team
• Biases individual judgments
• Extent to which we internalize and follow group
  norms, values, attitudes, and opinions expressed
  by the group
• Loyalty, support, and commitment to
  groups/organizations

8
Strength of Social Identity

• Increases due to Team Factors
• Distinctiveness of the groups values and
  practices in relationship to comparable groups
• Group provides a unique identity
• Prestige of the group
• People prefer to identify with groups that will
  enhance their self-esteem (high status-winners,
  successful)
• Awareness of out-groups reinforces awareness of
  in-group
• Groups in competition with each other

9

• Increases due to factors associated with Team
  Members
• Similarity
• Shared goals
• Common threat
• Common history
• Proximity
• Frequent interaction

10

• Increases due to Organizational Factors
• Symbolic manipulations
• Symbols, logos, jargon
• Rituals and ceremonies
• Marking transitions and rites of passage from
  probationary to full membership
• Initiation procedures

11
Social Identity and Leadership

• Who is most likely to be accepted as leader and
  most successful in mobilizing followers?
• Leaders who most clearly represent ways in which
  the group is different from other groups
• Leaders who present themselves as clear
  representatives of the positive social identity
  of the group

12
Social Identity Approach

• Important to understand
• When individuals see themselves either as
  separate individuals or as part of a collective
• When workers sacrifice (short-term) individual
  interests (e.g., by working overtime) in order to
  achieve (more long-term) collective outcomes
  (e.g., attracting new business or trying to sell
  a new product)

13
From Me to We

• Social identity explains when the self shifts
  from being individual (Me) to collective (We)
• The Me Individual motivation where team
  members work collectively based on
  interdependence between personal and collective
  outcomes (achieve group outcome to achieve a
  valued individual outcome)
• The We Where collective goals and expected
  group outcomes motivate individuals