Social creativity: Reviving a social identity approach to social stability

M. J. Van Bezouw, J. van der Toorn, Julia C. Becker

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Social Identity Theory (SIT) is commonly applied to explain social change. We aim to revive interest in the concept of social creativity in order to provide a SIT perspective on bolstering and challenging social stability. Social creativity allows people to maintain or achieve a positive social identity through re‐interpreting intergroup relations. Despite this crucial role in shaping intergroup comparisons, the causes and effects of social creativity are largely unknown. To understand how social creativity can contribute to social stability, we argue for a return to SIT’s dynamic nature of constantly re‐negotiating intergroup relations, involving both higher‐ and lower‐status groups. Within these dynamics, we propose that social creativity can play the roles of coping with, promoting, and questioning social stability. Additionally, we outline a research agenda for future research on social creativity and discuss the impact that social stability can have in societies.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)409-422
JournalEuropean Journal of Social Psychology
Volume51
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We are grateful to Ruthie Pliskin, Maja Kutlaca, Arieke Rijken, Catia Teixeira, and Andrew Livingstone for providing suggestions on earlier drafts of this article and sharing their perspectives on social creativity with us.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors. European Journal of Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Keywords

  • coping
  • social creativity
  • social identity management
  • social identity theory
  • social stability
  • social structure

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Social creativity: Reviving a social identity approach to social stability'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this