Identity Theory | Theories

Politeness: Some Universals in Language Use

Brown and Levinson’s Politeness develops a model of face‑saving communication that explains how speakers across cultures use linguistic strategies to mitigate social conflict and maintain mutual respect. Central to the theory is the idea that all individuals have a desire to protect both their own and others’ “face,” leading to varied politeness strategies depending on social context and power relations.

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Social Identity and Intergroup Relations

Social Identity and Intergroup Relations compiles seminal work on how individuals’ self‑concepts are derived from their group memberships, and how these social identities shape perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward in‑groups and out‑groups. The book lays the foundational framework for understanding prejudice, discrimination, group conflict, and intergroup dynamics in terms of cognitive, motivational, and contextual processes.

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Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community

Judith Donath analyzes how identity is constructed and performed in online spaces, where cues from physical presence are absent and deception can be easier. She explains that virtual communities create unique challenges for trust, reputation, and authenticity due to the flexibility and opacity of identity online.

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The Psychology of the Internet

Patricia Wallace’s The Psychology of the Internet provides a comprehensive research‑based overview of how online environments shape human behavior, emotions, and social interaction across contexts such as impression formation, group dynamics, aggression, attraction, altruism, privacy, gaming, development, and gender. The book integrates classic and contemporary psychological research to explain why people behave differently online and how those behaviors both reflect and inform social life on the Internet.

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Extended Self in a Digital World

This conceptual article revisits the extended self—a foundational idea in consumer research that possessions become part of one’s identity—and adapts

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Collective Social Identity: Synthesizing Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory Using Digital Data

Davis et al integrate Identity Theory (IT) and Social Identity Theory (SIT) by conceptualizing collective identity as a form of group/social identity applicable to activist collectives. Using digital data from YouTube comments on veganism videos, the authors show that collective identity aligns with identity feedback processes and bridges IT and SIT concepts.

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Triangulating the Self: Identity Processes in a Connected Era

Davis examines how individuals negotiate identity in a networked era marked by digital social technologies, highlighting the challenge of maintaining a coherent balance between idealized and authentic self‑presentations. She identifies conditions such as the fluidity between digital and physical contexts, expectations of accuracy, and overlapping social networks that shape contemporary identity processes.

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