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Goal Derived Categories

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Integrating “Goal Derived” Categories
In reference to social categories, Barsalou (1983) found that people also create “goal-derived” categories, which can shape perception (Fitzsimons & Shah, 2009, p. 1468). Research conducted by Fitzsimons and Shah (2009) found that goals shape both basic relationship cognition and social categorization, which suggests a usefulness of integrating goals into the study of social categorization. Hence, a person’s active goals “increase accessibility of means and decrease the accessibility of competing goals” (Fitzsimons & Shah, 2009, p.1468). Such categories would then separate groupings into “things that can help me with my goal” and “things that can obstruct my goal,” which, in turn, help people to construct goal-promoting environments (Fitzsimons & Shah, 2009, p.1473). Fitzsimons & Shah’s (2009) findings demonstrate a new type of social category—goal instrumentality. This would support the theory stating that social categorization reflects individual information such as race, gender, age, etc., while also having a concern for information about the relationship between groups (Fitzsimons & Shah, 2009).
In addition, Reicher and Hopkins (2001) shed light on the possible dangers of taking categories for granted, by …show more content…

98). Context, as emphasized by identity theory, is much more important than social identity researchers generally have acknowledged the existence of personal identity. Stets and Burke (2000) suggest that “being and doing are both central features of one’s identity” (p.234). Moreover, such a theory would address assistance and reflection as central aspects of the self, while providing a stronger integration of the concepts of the group, role and the person (Stets & Burke,

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