Beyond the State: Social Identity Theory and the Psychological Pathway of Foreign Policy Decision-Makers

Since the introduction of psychology into the study of international relations, Social Identity Theory has been increasingly associated with it. Social Identity Theory posits that an individual strives to elevate the social status in order to achieve higher self-esteem. This theory has been adopted in the study of international relations to examine the processes by which states construct the social identities of supranational communities or the strategies they employ to ameliorate their status in the international society. However, these studies frequently neglect to consider the psychological processes experienced by foreign policy decision makers. The social identity of a foreign policy decision maker is not a given characteristic, and disregarding the analysis of the psychological processes of a foreign policy decision maker is a simplification of the theory. A more appropriate research path would be to analyze the psychological activities of decision makers in order to deduce the strategic choices of the state. It encompasses the identification of the decision maker’s psychologically real social identity, the analysis of the social comparison process, and the analysis of how the decision maker chooses the strategy to change the social status. In comparison to the traditional international relations theories, Social Identity Theory places more emphasis on the individual-level analysis, transcends state-centrism, and exhibits greater explanatory power. Social Identity Theory offers a framework for the study of psychological processes among foreign policy decision makers and provides insights for future research on international relations.