Social Identity Complexity

Social Identity Complexity

Reviewed by Faisal Zaidi

How much a person perceives their in-group memberships to overlap; less perceived overlap means greater complexity.

What it is

Sonia Roccas and Marilynn Brewer defined the idea. Miller, Brewer and Arbuckle studied its correlates and antecedents in three studies: it related to intergroup attitudes independent of ideology and cognitive style, and a manipulation showed that need for cognition influenced perceived overlap.

In effect

In the article on social identity theory, it describes how holding several identities that do not fully overlap can change how people see other groups.

What it does not say

It describes perceived overlap among groups, not the number of groups a person belongs to.

Sources

  1. Miller, K. P., Brewer, M. B., & Arbuckle, N. L. (2009). Social identity complexity: Its correlates and antecedents. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 12(1), 79-94.