When self-categorization makes sense: the role of meaningful social categorization in minority and majority members' self-perception.
The authors examined the joint influence of meaningful social categorization and relative in-group size on the depersonalization of self-perception. Meaningfulness of social categorization was varied following the fit principle, introduced by self-categorization theory. In Experiment 1, the authors predicted and found that minority members show more depersonalized self-perception than majority members if, and only if, the meaningfulness of the underlying in-group-out-group categorization is high as opposed to low. Experiment 2 further substantiated that a meaningful social categorization affects only minority members' self-perception. Finally, the conceptual relationship between fit, meaning, and identity is discussed.
Simon
B
B
Psychologisches Institut IV, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany. simon@psy.uni.muenster.de
Hastedt
C
C
Aufderheide
B
B
D000328:Adult; D003861:Depersonalization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012925:Social Conformity; D012931:Social Environment; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology