Question

Please answer the question given below in 300 to 500 words and in paragraph form. In addition, please use citations from the eText and or from other credible sources and/or websites.

Discuss social identity as a threat to security.

Answer 1

• Social identity threat represents instances in which individuals feel the collectives to which they belong have been evaluated negatively. In short, as social identity theory assumes (Tajfel & Turner, 1986), individuals strive to maintain a positive perception of their groups and collectives. If these positive perceptions are challenged, individuals experience a sense of threat, manifesting as negative emotions or reinforcing behaviors that align with group norms. (Stereotype and social identity threat by Dr. Simon Moss)
• Some evidence suggests that when social identity is salient, perceived threat will more likely result in aggressive and retaliatory responses (Fischer, Haslam, & Smith, 2010) and this has been applied to religious identity (Ysseldyk, Matheson, & Anisman, 2011).
  
• Religious identity is a particularly powerful social identity because it is built upon fundamental beliefs and values and anchored within a sacred and eternal worldview.
• In a sample of Christians and Muslims, participants were presented with a fictitious article suggesting that the majority of the population felt coldly toward participants’ respective religious group and suggesting that the government was going to use this information to reduce resources available to participants’ respective religious groups
• Results suggested that participants with an intrinsic religious orientation (i.e., those looking to religion for spiritual guidance and meaning) expressed increased anger and increased intentions for confrontation. Ysseldyk et al. (2011) suggest that, “threats directly targeting one’s religious group may evoke more active responses from those for whom the belief system is central to their identity”. (A Social Identity and Social Power Perspective on Terrorism by Joshua David Wright )