Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse s'intéressent aux liens existant entre la théorie des représentations sociales (RS) et celle de l'identité sociale (TIS). Malgré la littérature sur la théorie des représentations sociales et celle de l'identité sociale peu de recherches ont permis de mettre en évidence les liens, de ces deux champs théoriques constitutifs de la psychologie sociale. Les objectifs de cette thèse consistent d'une part à étudier le rôle des processus identitaires dans la construction des représentations sociales, et, d'autre part, à estimer l'importance du rôle des représentations sociales dans la dynamique du groupe et les relations intergroupes.On se propose d'éprouver l'hypothèse qui postule que les éléments centraux d'une représentation sociale sont constitutifs de l'identité sociale des membres du groupe. Doise (1999) définit l'identité comme un principe qui gère les relations intergroupes et qui pour cela utilise le vecteur des représentations sociales. L'approche structurale elle pose que les représentations sociales fonctionnent comme des structures sociocognitives régulées par complémentarité de deux systèmes:les cognitions centrales et les cognitions périphériques. Au travers TIS, et des différents processus sociocognitifs relatifs à cette dernière, on se propose de manipuler expérimentalement les différents processus constitutifs de l'identité d'un groupe au travers du prisme des représentations sociales. Autrement dit, nous nous intéressons à l'effet de la manipulation des éléments centraux dans le cas, notamment, du processus de comparaison sociale, des normes sociales ainsi que de l'effet brebis galeuse. / This thesis refers to the existing links between the social representation (SR) theory and the social identity (TSI) theory. Little research work has highlighted the contribution between these two theories and showed the reciprocal provisions of these two and constituting theoretical fields of social psychology. This thesis consist in supporting a correlation between the role of self-defining processes in the building of SR on one hand, and the importance of SR on the dynamics of the group and of the intergroup relations on the other hand. In this frame the purpose is to test the hypothesis that the central elements of a social representation are constituting of the social identity of the members of the group. Doise (1999) defines identity as a principle which manages intergroup relations and therefore uses the vector of SR.However,the structural approach puts down that social representations work as social cognitive structures regulated by the complementarity of two systems: central and peripheral cognitions.The individuals have a full knowledge to belong to a definite social group with a framework of reference,common representations. Thus,through the theory of TSI and through the various socio-cognitive processes related,this research is to handle in experiments of the various processes constitutive of the group identity through the prism of SR.In the effect of handling the central elements in the case, in particular,of the process of social comparison, the social norms as well as the black sheep effect. According to any logic resulting from the central core theory, the handling of central elements of a SR should not unbalance the identity of the group. / Os trabalhos apresentado desta tese se interessam às relações existentes entre a teoria das representações sociais (RS) e a da identidade social (TIS). Apesar da abundante literatura sobre a teoria das representações sociais e sobre a da identidade social, poucas pesquisas realçam as relações, bem como as contribuições recíprocas destes dois campos teóricos constitutivos da psicologia social. Os objectivos científicos desta tese suportam a interação entre, por um lado, o papel dos processos identitários na construção das representações sociais, e por outro, a importância das representações sociais na dinâmica do grupo e nas relações intergrupais. Neste sentido, através de diferentes experimentos, propomos testar a hipótese de que os elementos centrais de uma representação social são constitutivos da identidade social dos membros de um grupo. Doise (1999) define a identidade como um princípio gerador das relações intergrupais e que, para isto, utiliza o vector das representações sociais. A abordagem estrutural, por sua vez, propõe que as representações sociais funcionam como estruturas cognitivas reguladas pela complementaridade de dois sistemas: o das cognições centrais (caracterizado por seus aspectos consensuais que asseguram a perenidade da RS) e as cognições periféricas (submetidas às variações interindividuais). Os indivíduos têm plena consciência de pertencer à um grupo social definido, com um quadro de referência e representações comuns. Desta forma, a partir da teoria da identidade social (TIS) e dos diferentes processos sociocognitivos à ela relacionados, propomos manipular experimentalmente os diferentes processos constitutivos da identidade de um grupo partindo do prisma das representações sociais. Ou seja, nos interessamos aos efeitos da manipulação dos elementos centrais sobre, nomeadamente, os processos de comparação social, as normas sociais, e o efeito ovelha negra. De acordo com a lógica da teoria do núcleo central, a manipulação dos elementos centrais de uma representação não deveria desequilibrar a identidade grupal.

Friendship and peer acceptance is an important facet of any adolescent’s development. Adolescence is recognised as a period of discovering and forming one’s identity. When an adolescent has a learning impairment, it impacts on all facets of his/her life, including socially (friendships). While needing to deal with the challenges of a learning impairment as well as to functioning socially, the adolescent needs to cope with these challenges as well as form an identity. In a similar vein, when the adolescent is faced with the challenges of a learning impairment, limited cognitive and language difficulties may impact on friendship relationships. Working in a school that caters specifically for learners with learning impairments, I started wondering: what role does their individual learning impairments play in the maintenance of friendship? The purpose of this study was to gain insight and understanding into the nature of friendship amongst adolescents who have been identified as having a specific learning impairment. This study took place within a specialised high school setting where the focus is to provide support to the learner with specific learning needs. This study utilised an interpretive, qualitative research approach. This study aimed to interpret and understand what is the nature of friendship for adolescents with a specific learning impairment. The study also aimed to understand how social issues such as social comparison and self-concept is understood from the participants’ point of view and finally, to understand if the school environment within which they function play any role in the nature of friendships and how does the adolescent participant interpret this role. The research design was an instrumental case study. Data was collected from two participants by means of a one-on-one semi-structured interview and observations supported by field notes. The data collected was transcribed. The data was interpreted using a colour code for each theme identified. The findings reported indicate that the participants’ view of the self is influenced by their friends. Support and understanding in their friendships was possible as a result of trust, acceptance and understanding of how it is to be facing the challenge of learning impairments on a daily basis. The learners have found a place in the school were they can flourish both academically and socially. Socially, the challenges of learning impairments still play a role during interactions with friends. Social comparison based on physical appearance was highlighted. Self-concepts have been influenced by their learning impairment. Within the specialised school system, improved self-concepts were reported due to better academic performance and unconditional acceptance by friends and peers, despite having a learning impairment. AFRIKAANS : Vriendskap en portuur groep aanvaarding is ‘n belangrike aspek van enige adolesent se ontwikkeling. Adolesensie word erken as ‘n tydperk van ondekking en die vorming van ‘n identiteit. Wanneer ‘n adolesent ‘n leergeremdheid beleef, het dit ‘n invloed op alle fasette van hulle lewens, insluitend sosiaal (vriendskappe). Terwyl die adolesent die uitdagings van ‘n leergeremdheid moet hanteer asook sosiaal funksioneer, moet die adolesent terselftertyd die uitdaging hanteer om ‘n identiteit te vorm. Wanneer die adolesent die uitdagings van ‘n leergeremdheid hanteer, het beperkte kognitiewe en taal uitdagings ook ‘n invloed op vriendskappe. Terwyl ek by ‘n skool werk wat voorsien vir leerders met leergeremdhede het ek begin wonder: watter rol speel individuele leergeremdhede in die handhawing van vriendskappe. Die doel van die studie was om insig te verkry in die aard van vriendskap tussen adolosente wat identifiseer is as leerders met ‘n leergeremdheid. Die studie het plaas gevind in ‘n gespesialiseerde hoërskool waar die fokus val om ondersteuning te bied aan leerders met leergeremdhede. Die studie was ‘n interpretiewe, kwalitatiewe navorsings studie. Die doel van die studie was om die aard van vriendskappe tussen adolesente met leergeremdhede, te verstaan. ‘n Verdere doel van die studie was om vas te stel hoe word sosiale vergelyking en self-konsep verstaan word deur die deelnemers en laastens om vas te stel of die skoolomgewing waarin die kinders funksioneer, enige rol speel in die aard van vriendskappe. Laastens is gekyk na hoe word die rol verstaan deur die adolesente. Die navorsingsontwerp was ‘n instrumentele gevalle studie. Data was versamel vanaf twee deelnemers deur middel van een-tot-een semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en waarnemings wat deur veldnotas ondersteun was. Die data wat versamel was is getranskribeer. Die data was interpreteer deur ‘n kleur kode wat gekoppel is aan elke tema. Die bevindinge dui aan dat die deelnemers se siening van die self beinvloed word deur hulle vriende. Ondersteuning en begrip in hulle vriendskappe is moontlik as gevolg van vertroue, aanvaarding en begrip van hoe dit voel om die uitdagings van ‘n leergeremdheid daagliks te hanteer. Die leerders het ‘n plek in die skool gevind waar hulle beide akademies en sosiaal kan floreer. Op ‘n sosiale vlak speel die uitdagings van ‘n leergeremdheid steeds ‘n rol in hulle vriendskappe. Sosiale vergelyking kom voor gebasseer op fisiese voorkoms. Self-konsepte word deur leergeremdhede beinvloed. In die gespesialiseerde skool word beter self-konsepte gerapporteer weens beter akademiese prestasie en onvoorwaardelike aanvaarding deur vriende en lede van die portuur groep, teen spyte daarvan om ‘n leergeremdheid te hê. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The Canadian population is aging, as is the Canadian workforce. Today, four generations find themselves cohabiting in the workforce together. This may have an impact on workplace collaboration and communication, as both of these processes are influenced by group perceptions. Academic research has focused upon workplace interactions mainly from a younger worker’s perspective; hence, the older worker’s voice has been overlooked. The objective of this study is thereby from an older worker’s perspective, to understand how generations perceive each other in the workplace, and further, understand how these perceptions influence intergenerational communication and collaboration. To do so, we have relied upon Communication Accommodation Theory and Social Identity Theory, and have conducted a survey to measure the influence of ageist stereotypes on communication and its accommodation, in addition to such influences on knowledge transfer. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The study is an exploratory investigation of early adolescents’ buying patterns with regards to clothing using social identity theory. Interviews were conducted with six early adolescents in Attridgeville suburb located in Tshwane (then called Pretoria) in South Africa. This research was prompted by insufficient archived studies which focus on black adolescents in South Africa. Early adolescents are conscious of the youth culture and utilities that are significant to them. The early adolescent stage construes young people as seeking an own identity both individually and within the group. Clothing apparel plays a significant role in the projection of adolescents’ identity in the peer group, and they participate in consumer behaviour that is influenced through socialization. Among others, peers and family circumstances play a central role as socialisation agents for the buying patterns of clothing during adolescence. In this study the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) was used to explore the processes involved in the buying patterns of clothing during early adolescence, particularly for black adolescents in an urban environment. Pictures, compiled in the format of a collage, were used as a projective technique to probe respondents’ constructions of their preferred buying patterns and consumer behaviour. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis as a procedure of qualitative research. Verification of transcripts and themes by an independent third party enhanced validity and reliability of findings. Themes indicate that early adolescents are quite involved in consumer behaviour and make decisions based on lifestyle, consumer socialisation, purchasing styles and filters. Both peers and family act as socialisation agents, and socio-structural factors such as birth order, financial aspects, attitudes, and retail outlets have an impact on the actual buying patterns of clothing. Further study is needed to determine the effect of media and learning styles on the consumer behaviour of black adolescents in a South African context. / Dissertation (MA (Research Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

Intergroup relations and the factors affecting them constitute a subject of recurring interest within the academic community. Social identity theory suggests that group membership and the value we assign to it drives the expression of in-group favoritism and outgroup prejudice, among other intergroup phenomena. The present study examines how (ir)religious identities are related to topic-sentiment polarization in the form of positive in-group and negative outgroup bias during interreligious debates in YouTube commentaries. Drawing from the propositions of social identity theory, six hypotheses were tested. The data for the study, a product of a natural experiment, are comments posted on YouTube commentary sections featuring videos of interreligious debates between (a) Christian and atheist or (b) Christian and Muslim speakers. Using topic-sentiment analysis, a multistage method of topic modeling with latent semantic analysis (LSA) and sentiment analysis, 52,607 comments, for the Christian - atheist debates, and 24,179 comments, for the Christian - Muslim debates, were analyzed. The results offer support (or partial support) to the hypotheses demonstrating identity-specific instances of topic-sentiment polarization to the predicted direction. The study offers valuable insights for the relevance of social identity theory in real-world interreligious interactions, while the successful application of topic-sentiment analysis lends support for the more systematic utilization of this method in the context of social identity theory.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka upplevda förväntningar för de två biologiska könen bland gymnasieelever. Syftet preciseras i tre frågeställningar vilka behandlar om och hur dessa förväntningar tar sig uttryck samt hanteringsstrategier och konsekvenser kopplade till dessa. För att undersöka detta genomfördes åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med gymnasieelever från tre olika län och tre olika inriktningar. Resultatet analyserades via en tematisk analys och mynnade ut i totalt åtta teman och 15 subteman vilka visade att de förväntningar som upplevdes bland eleverna kunde kategoriseras upp i beteende, utseende och känslomässiga förväntningar. Hanteringsstrategierna handlade om antingen anpassning eller normbrytande och i vissa fall båda två. Konsekvenserna innebar bland flera individer ett försämrat mående och oförmågan till att kunna vara sig själva. I diskussionen presenteras sammanfattningen att gymnasieflickor upplevs behöva vara tillgängliga för pojkarna på flera olika plan, samt den heteronormativitet som tydligt existerade bland gymnasiepojkarna. Studien kan hjälpa till att ge en förståelse för unga människors agerande och mående med könsrollsanknutna förväntningar som utgångspunkt.

Subordination of judgment is a fundamental threat to auditor objectivity. Subordination of judgment occurs when auditors agree with their superiors either in spite of or without forming their own independent judgments. Many audit procedures rely on independent, critical thinking at every level of the audit team; however, a number of studies suggest that auditors tend to agree with superiors even when a superior's views clearly run contrary to generally accepted accounting principles. While there is general agreement among scholars that subordination of judgment is "bad," very little attention has been given to moral biases that might influence an auditor's tendency to subordination of judgment, or to potential remedies that could mitigate an auditor's tendency to subordinate judgment. Moral Foundations Theory suggests that individuals tend to make intuitive, normative evaluations of situations based upon a set of personal moral biases or preferences called "moral foundations." Two specific moral foundations could influence subordination of judgment in divergent ways. The moral foundation of loyalty-respect may make agreement with a superior's views seem more acceptable than would disagreement. Meanwhile, the moral foundation of fairness may make an auditor more sensitive to the observance of rules, resulting in less subordination of judgment when a superior's views run contrary to professional rules. Social Identity Theory suggests that in-group favoritism may exacerbate subordination of judgment in general; however, strengthening an auditor's professional identity salience (PIS) could strengthen an auditor's objectivity. PIS is the temporary, heightened awareness of an auditor's identity as a professional and their role as guardian of professional rules. As a result, PIS may interact with an auditor's innate sense of fairness, resulting in less subordination of judgment than when professional identity is less salient. Results supported the hypothesis that auditors tend to subordinate their judgment to that of a superior, but not that PIS mitigates the effect of subordination of judgment. Results also supported the hypotheses that the moral foundations of loyalty-respect and fairness influence the tendency of auditors to subordinate their judgment to that of a superior. Specifically, auditors with higher levels of loyalty-respect were more likely to agree with a superior who suggested an incorrect accounting treatment than auditors with lower levels of loyalty-respect. Whereas, auditors with higher levels of fairness were less likely to agree with a superior who suggested an incorrect treatment than were auditors with lower levels of fairness. Therefore, this dissertation provides evidence that moral foundations bias professional judgment and decision making in auditing and calls for further research into the influence of moral heuristics.

To obtain valid and reliable research findings it is important to follow the process to validate measuring instruments. This entails determining the psychometric properties of a measure to eliminate or decrease the presence of measurement errors. Measurement errors have a negative impact on the validity of research findings. The aim of this study was to perform a confirmatory factor analytic study on the Aspects of Identity Questionnaire (AIQ-IV) to assess the model fit of the data. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed as part of the process to assess construct validity of a questionnaire to discover the misrepresenting influences of these measurement errors and to provide a foundation for further research. The AIQ-IV was administered to a sample of 157 participants in the South African context including different race, gender, age and occupation groups, drawn by means of convenient sampling. The research results and fit indices indicated that the data reflected a reasonable model fit. Copyright 2010, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Els, L 2010, A confirmatory factor analytic study of the aspects of identity questionnaire (AIQ-IV), MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02092012-122330 / > C12/4/67/gm / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

Bakgrund: Samhällen förändras över tid. Kraven på företags ageranden i samhället har ökat, delvis på grund av en tilltagen globalisering och rörlighet, men även till följd av en ökad medvetenhet om företags påverkan på samhället. Utifrån dessa förändringar har begreppet Corporate Social Responsibility växt fram och tagit allt mer utrymme i diskussionen om företags sociala ansvar. Archie Carroll ämnade i sin CSR-pyramid att definiera gränserna för företags sociala ansvar och delades således in ansvarsområdena i fyra delar. Två utav dessa ansvarstaganden är etiskt och filantropiskt ansvar som denna studie riktar fokus på. Det etiska ansvaret omfattar aktiviteter och praxis som förväntas av samhället att företag ska utföra, men som inte har fastställts i lagar och förordningar. Det filantropiska ansvaret handlar om att företag kan vara goda samhällsmedborgare genom att bidra med sina resurser till samhället. Varken det etiska eller filantropiska ansvaret är lagstadgade, företag kan således själva välja om de vill delta i sådana aktiviteter. Det är inte enbart samhället som ställer krav på företags ageranden, utan även dess medarbetare. Det finns en avsaknad av studier som belyser medarbetarens perspektiv i frågan vilket gav inspiration till denna studie. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka huruvida medarbetare tycker att det är viktigt att företag tar ett etiskt och filantropiskt ansvar. Studien syftar även till att undersöka om etiska och filantropiska ansvarstaganden påverkar medarbetares benägenhet att identifiera sig med ett företag. Metod: Studien utgår ifrån en deduktiv ansats där hypoteser testas och analyseras. En kvantitativ metod valdes och en enkätundersökning genomfördes för insamling av datamaterialet. Medarbetarna som besvarade enkäten arbetar på köpcentret Asecs i Jönköpings kommun. Slutsats: Sammanställningen av enkäten visar att medarbetare tycker att det är viktigt att företaget tar ett etiskt ansvar. Det filantropiska ansvarstagandet ansågs inte som lika viktigt. Sammanställningen visar även att etiskt och filantropiskt ansvarstagande gör medarbetare mer benägna att identifiera sig med företaget. / Background: Communities change over time. Demands for corporate actions in society have increased, partly because of increased globalization and mobility, but also as a result of increased awareness of companies' impact on society. Based on these changes, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility has grown and taken up space in the discussion about corporate responsibility. In his CSR pyramid, Archie Carroll intended to define the boundaries of Corporate Social Responsibility and divided the responsibility into four parts. Two of these responsibilities that this study focuses on are ethical and philanthropic responsibility. Ethical responsibility is activities and practices that society expects companies to carry out, but which have not been established in laws and regulations. The philanthropic responsibility is that companies can be good citizens by contributing their resources to society. Neither ethical nor philanthropic responsibility is statutory, so companies can choose whether or not to participate in such activities. It is not only society that sets demands on corporate actions, but also its employees. There is a lack of studies that shed light on the employee's perspective on the issue, which inspired this study. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether employees think it is important that companies take ethical and philanthropic responsibility. The purpose is also to investigate whether ethical and philanthropic responsibility affects employees' tendency to identify with a company. Method: The study is based on a deductive approach where hypotheses are tested and analyzed. A quantitative method was chosen and a survey was conducted to collect the data material. The employees who answered the questionnaire work at Asecs shopping center in Jönköping. Conclusion: The compilation of the survey shows that employees think it is important that the company takes ethical responsibility. Philanthropic responsibility was not considered as important. The compilation also shows that ethical and philanthropic responsibility makes employees more inclined to identify with the company.

The literature on rebel cohesion/fragmentation currently presents valid macro-level explanations for rebel group cohesion/fragmentation, yet no model currently exists exploring non-utility-based motivations regulating pro-group behaviour. This thesis tests the assumptions of a novel social psychological framework – Identity Fusion Theory – on rebel cohesion. Using a primarily quantitative approach applying a logistic regression model to primary data gathered on the Syrian Civil War, and a smaller qualitative element comparing groups with “fused” and “non-fused” memberships during the war, the thesis tests the hypothesis that “groups with highly fused memberships will be less likely to fragment during the course of a civil war than groups with non-fused memberships”. The results of the analysis show a strong, positive relationship between fused memberships and rebel cohesion. The results of the thesis are to some extent limited by potential omitted variable bias (suggested by high R2 values) and the use of Syria as the only population from which to sample. Nevertheless, the relatively large number of observations in the dataset (63) as well as heterogenous nature of groups involved suggest the findings are generalisable. In conclusion, we did find a positive relationship between fusion and rebel group cohesion. The main implications of this thesis being that future academic research may benefit from focusing on social psychological factors when examining rebel dynamics while policymakers potentially shape better responses to insurgencies and rebellions.