The ingroup as part of the self: Reconsidering the link between social categorization, ingroup favoritism, and the self-concept

Social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 1986) sees these processes as the immediate outcome of social categorization: Once a person identifies with a certain group, he or she will compare the ingroup to relevant (comparable) other groups. Ideally, these comparisons will render the ingroup as positively distinct; in this case, the comparison outcome helps establish or secure a positive social identity. Finally, as both personal and social identity form an individual’s self-concept, treating and evaluating the ingroup in a biased way can be seen as a means to support or increase self-regard.