Social Identity and Response to Disaster - Essay Example

? Social Identity and response to disaster Task: Social Identity and Response to Disaster Disasters trigger social, psychological and behavioral reactions from individuals and the community in which it occurs. Among the inevitable needs for individuals is the required resilience and response to disasters during their occurrence. Individuals’ psychological and behavioral response to disaster, however, seems to be dependent on a number of factors and considerations. In understanding the psychological and behavioral response to disaster by a group of people, the study of individuals’ behaviors, in groups, is important. Apparently, social psychologists tend to question the effectiveness of social categorization as a source of strength for psychological and behavioral response to disasters. The social identity theory, initiated by Tajfel and Turner, can be helpful in explaining the relevance of groups in understanding psychological and behavioral reaction to disaster by different social categories present in the society. According to the theory, a group (in-group) consists of people sharing a uniform attributes that jointly differentiates them from other group members (out-group) (Burke, 2006). According to Tajfel and Turner, people develop several selves while they are together, compared to personal thoughts and behavior based on their personal self. The group effect triggers individuals to think, act, respond and feel in a different manner from when they are alone and making decisions based on self. An individual, therefore, exhibits dissimilar identities while in a group as compared to his or herself. Social identity, therefore, is the perception that individuals, while in a group, acquire and tend to identify with while associating with the membership of that group. In such a case, individual identity does not apply, and self-knowledge that brings out the individual’s attribute and uniqueness does not receive consideration. Being a member of a group initiates self- categorization as well as support in a way that favors the in-group. The categorization of an individual into a group motivates and initiates self-esteem on individuals. Group members, therefore, receive favor, contrary to those who are in the out-group category. In-group favoritism is sufficient to trigger the members to respond sufficiently to disasters or similar situations. It is noteworthy that in-group members tend to show differences compared to their out-group counterparts. In-group members, therefore, strive to achieve positive distinctiveness. In determining the importance of a group in response to disaster, three considerations are of considerable importance. The extents to which in-group members identify and appreciate their membership in the group make a considerable outcome. This consequently affects the individuals’ extent of internalization and compliance with the group’s activities. The extent to which the apparent situations, in which case may be a disaster, provide a link between the group members is essential in studying the group’s psychological and behavioral response to disaster. The status of the group members is also a determinant when addressing the relevance of group in psychological and behavioral response to disaster. From the assumptions outlined and the grounds of the social identity theory, being an in-group member can provide empowerment to an individual. The provision of empowerment breeds resilience and subsequent preparedness by the individuals (psychological and behavioral) to respond to disasters. On a further note, empowerment initiates the encouragement of in-group members to act and participate together, as a means of responding to disasters. Actions in response to disasters bring social changes and benefits related to personal health. Through this, groups tend to be of utmost relevance in understanding psychological and behavioral response to disasters. The joint support and responsibility borne by all group members can be an impressive source of desirable outcome and results. The shared identity among the in-group members can initiate co-ordination of participants in times of disasters and, subsequently, prompt response. The likelihood of one feeling related to an in-group member is high with social identity, which creates might and strength that is essential in responding to disasters. This might created in a crowd is what shapes the crowd behavior. The crowd is most likely to take a legitimate action towards the disaster, or the correct and relevant response to the scenario. Group members view disasters that strike their fellow members as those that strike them, on personal account. When the identification within the group members grows strong, so does the identity, co-ordination. The mutual assistance provided by in-group members as a response strategy to disasters also increases with strong identification that members have towards the group. In some situations, in-group members tend to display traits suggestive of sacrifices, because of the shared identity. The importance of social identity remains highly appreciated concerning response to disasters. The social identity becomes the focus of crowd participation in many scenarios that involve response to disasters. The reaction that the in-group members launch against the out-group members results from the feeling and perception that they have a common factor that brings unity. The action taken by the out-group members receives the view from in-group members of being disastrous. With the social identity, in-group members can endure a disastrous situation more likely than it would be when individuals respond on personal accounts. Endurance in such scenarios would involve, for instance, demonstrations in attempts to save in-group members get out of a disastrous condition. Shunning down such group members would involve the out-group a lot of effort than it would to confront individuals. While unity of in-group members is of appreciated importance in initiating collective effort for resilience, the extent to which members show solidarity remains a veritable determinant. There is an evident association between social identity and success in disaster response by in-group members who display mutual coordination. The effectiveness of the social identity theory in enhancing response by in-group members to disasters is a proven idea. Collective action creates optimistic feeling as togetherness and concern for the plight of other members of the group. When people respond to disasters on personal accounts, there are possibilities of uncertainties of the ability to overcome the disastrous situation. Individuals tend to question their capabilities of responding to disasters. The social identity serves to free in-group members off the doubts. They members’ certainty over their achievement tends to increase with social identity. The psychological effects of social identity among in-group members initiate the members’ behavioral response to the situation. Besides, social identity is a core initiator of self-development experiences. With improved self-development, there is a boost in resilience to disastrous conditions, both physically and intellectually. Collectivism, therefore, is helpful in initiating success during disastrous conditions. The social identity theory is important in social psychology studies. It aids in understanding the significance of groups in psychological and behavioral response to disasters. It is evident that when in-group members coordinate their response to disasters receives a boost. The possibility of the in-group members attaining success is a notable factor. The feeling of togetherness and concern among in-group members becomes a motivational factor that initiates subsequent response to disaster by the group members. Groups tend to appear different from other groups and may take measures aimed at perfecting their image, response to disaster being among the measures (Tajfel, 2010). The social identity theory creates the psychological sense of community among in-group members. It brings out the association between self-concept and group behavior (Hogg, 2002). In-group members may be of varied interests as people affiliated to a belief, fans of a given team or a group emanating from a given social class. Enhancing the group’s status increases the members’ self-esteem and results into social categorization. In their attempts to find the negative aspects of their counterparts, in-group members tend to boost their self-image and subsequently get prepared to respond to disasters promptly. Social categorization dictates the perception of in-group members towards disasters. The application of social identity theory in a group’s response to disaster depicts the extent to which social categorization is of significance. Social identities, by categorization into groups, initiates positive attributes that in-group members have towards themselves including prompt psychological and behavioral response to disasters. References Burke, P. (2006). Contemporary Social Psychological Theories. California, CA: Stanford University Press. Hogg, M. (2002).Social Identity Processes in Organizational Contexts. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press. Tajfel, H. (2010). Social Identity and Intergroup Relations. 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