Download full text
(104.1Kb)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-67843-1
Exports for your reference manager
Societal security and social psychology
[journal article]
Abstract The concept of societal security as developed by the Copenhagen school has three underlying weaknesses: a tendency to reify societies as independent social agents, a use of too vague a definition of 'identity', and a failure to demonstrate sufficiently that social security matters to individuals. Th... view more
The concept of societal security as developed by the Copenhagen school has three underlying weaknesses: a tendency to reify societies as independent social agents, a use of too vague a definition of 'identity', and a failure to demonstrate sufficiently that social security matters to individuals. This article shows that applying social identity theory to the societal
security concept helps remedy these weaknesses and closes the theoretical gaps that the Copenhagen school has left open. It enables us to treat 'society' as an independent variable without reifying it as an independent agent. It also suggests a much sharper definition of identity, and a rationale for the Copenhagen school's claim that individuals have a psychological need to achieve societal security by protecting their group boundaries. Social identity theory thus supports the societal security concept in its central assumptions while
giving it stronger theoretical foundations and greater analytical clout.... view less
Classification
Social Psychology
International Relations, International Politics, Foreign Affairs, Development Policy
Free Keywords
Societal Security; Copenhagen School; Social Identity Theory
Document language
English
Publication Year
2003
Page/Pages
p. 249-268
Journal
Review of International Studies, 29 (2003) 2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260210503002493
ISSN
1469-9044
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed