Group social identity literature review

Social identity refers to the behavior of a specific human being and his personal identity in relation in the social group in which he is a member (Turner 2000). Track and field refers to a sporting event whereby various activities are undertaken in one stadium. The stadium consists of a running lane and other facilities for jumping and throwing balls. Men’s performance differs when it comes to track and field. For instance, if a man runs alone rather than in relay, there is less probability of winning. In a relay, the fast runners compensate the loss made by the slow runners. It is therefore notable that the performance of men in track and field is better than if a person runs alone.
What motivates the better performance of the team is the fact that each of the members is willing to make the team proud (Hogg 2002).

Every member does not want his team to lose. More so, no one would like to be told that he is the one who made the team to lose. This will make the team members to put the best effort possible. Apart from this, the team members are always united and are motivated by this union. This helps them in acquiring enough confidence to participate in their best capacity. The existence of the team gives them a sense of belonging thereby giving them morale to perform well in their games. Another thing that motivates the action of the team is the fact that the responsibilities are divided among the team members. This means that each member will have the incentive to perform his obligations well.

In working as a team, the men in track and field are trying to win in all the events undertaken by them (Reynolds 2010). It is notable that no team goes to participate in a sports event in order to lose. All the participating teams are geared towards winning in the event. In order to win, the team usually constructs strategies of how to take the first position. The team is aware that winning in the event is accompanied by many benefits, which are not realized by the losing teams. The team usually has a leader, who helps the team members to achieve their objectives. They achieve their objectives by adhering to the advice of their coaches and putting a lot of effort in their work.

In analyzing social identity of the teams, it is important to analyze the relationship between interpersonal and intergroup characteristics. It is notable that various individuals who are members of the team may tend to behave differently, especially in other matters that do not relate to sports. In matters relating to sports, the behavior of individuals tends to be similar. When the members are formed as a team, their behavior will be collective due to the existence of protocol in the team. The actions of the team are sometimes limited by the managers and coaches. If the members act individually, they tend to be tenser as they await the sporting events (Austin 2003). When these members act individually, they may not be having partners to chat with. They will therefore not have a chance to release tension through sharing.

In track and field teams, it is notable that there are some favors that are accorded to some athletes more than others. For instance, the treatment of athletes in the team is different. The best runners will be treated differently from the average runners (Turner 2000). When there is a meeting in the team, everyone is required to arrive on time. If an average runner gets late for even ten minutes, he is likely to be summoned by the leaders and other team members. However, if the best runners get late, there will be less probability for them to be asked questions by the team members.

In conclusion, we can argue that working as a team is better than working individually. This can be evidenced by the past performance of certain teams in the previous Olympics held. The United States of America and Jamaica have performed well in relays in these events. This has been attributed to the commitment made by the team members. In order to achieve the team’s objective, there should be unity and good relationships among the team members. Finally, teams should ensure that there is harmony between the average and the fast runners of the team in order to improve their performance.

References

Turner, J, (2000). The significance of the social identity concept for social psychology with reference to individualism, interactions and social influence. British Journal of Social Psychology 25 (3): 237–252.

Hogg, M, (2002). Social Psychology. Upper Saddle River. Prentice Hall.

Reynolds, K. J. (2010). The story of social identity. New York. Psychology Press.
Tajfel, H, (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. CA: Brooks/Cole.
Tajfel, H, (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. New York. Mc-Grave Hill.
Austin, G, (2003) Psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 7–24). Chicago. Nelson-Hall.