Professor John TURNER

BA, PhD, FASSA

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About Me
Research and Supervision Interests
Selected Publications

Australian Professorial Fellowship 2003-2007

I am currently in a full-time research position as an Australian Professorial Fellow funded by the Australian Research Council. This fellowship is attached to the five-year grant above entitled "From the inevitability of prejudice to the origins of social change: The emergence of perceived illegitimacy in intergroup relations". My co-investigator on the project is Dr Kate Reynolds. The general aim is to understand the conditions under which subordinate groups in some social hierarchy come to perceive their position as illegitimate where once they perceived it as legitimate. There is a great deal of data in social psychology showing that perceived illegitimacy affects ingroup and/or system identification, ingroup biases, intergroup conflict, social stability and compliance with established authorities. For example, people are much more willing to pay their taxes when the tax authority represents a system of government perceived as legitimate. The project is relevant to social justice, prejudice, social conflict, social change, power and authority, all areas of significant research in social psychology. Our work has already helped to produce a new theory of power and generated new insights into the links between social identity, (il)legitimacy and power.

I did my undergraduate BA Honours in Social Psychology at the University of Sussex and my PhD in social psychology at the University of Bristol, both in the UK. After my PhD I worked in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bristol, first as a research associate with Henri Tajfel and Howard Giles and then as a lecturer in social psychology and personality. In 1982/1983 I spent a year at the Institute For Advanced Study, Princeton, USA, in the School of Social Sciences, and then moved to Australia, to Macquarie University in Sydney. After some years I moved in 1990 to the ANU in Canberra as Professor of Psychology. I was Head of Department for two terms and Dean of the Faculty of Science for one during the 1990s. I was awarded the Henri Tajfel Memorial Medal by the European Association of Experimental Social Psychology in 1999 and was the Freilich Foundation Eminent Lecturer for 2001. I have supervised PhD and honours students at Bristol and Macquarie Universities and ANU, on topics including leadership, group cohesion, crowd behaviour, group polarization, the salience of social categorizations, minority influence, self-categorization and stereotyping, categorization and social judgement, the self-concept and the formation of stereotype content.

My research interests are in social psychology and have covered a number of topics over the years: intergroup relations, prejudice, stereotyping, the nature of the psychological group and group processes, social influence, leadership, power and the self-concept. I have had a longstanding interest in social identity and self-categorization processes since I developed social identity theory with the late Henri Tajfel in the 1970s and originated self-categorization theory in the early 1980s. Currently my research (with Kate Reynolds, Boris Bizumic, Emina Subasic, Susan Johnson, Ken Mavor and Nyla Branscombe) has two major themes. Firstly, the problem of the emergence of perceived illegitimacy in intergroup relations and the nature of social power, and secondly, the role of self-categorization in producing personality. The link between illegitimacy and power is the problem of how social change takes place in the relations between social groups, a problem that derives from social identity theory and the general position that prejudice is not caused by pathological individual attitudes but by the conflictual nature of relations between social groups (J.C. Turner & K. J. Reynolds, 2003-2007, ARC Discovery Project, From the inevitability of prejudice to the origins of social change: The emergence of perceived illegitimacy in intergroup relations. A$728,000). Another aspect of this problem (expressed in the second theme) which I have been working on with collaborators is the aetiology of "the prejudiced personality". What exactly is a prejudiced personality? We have been exploring the idea that what we call prejudiced personalities are not fixed products of cultural learning but the varying self-categorical reflections of group beliefs and ideologies applied to the production of personal identity in contemporary social contexts. A recently awarded research grant will enable us to explore in more general terms the role of self-categorization and social identity processes in producing individuality and shaping personal identities (K. J. Reynolds, J. C. Turner, K. Mavor & N. Branscombe, 2006-2011, ARC Discovery Project, Self-categorization and personal identity: Integrating group and personality processes. A$670,000).

Publications from 1995 onwards

Haslam, S. A. & Turner, J. C. (1995) Context-dependent variation in social stereotyping 3: Extremism as a self-categorical basis for polarized judgement.European Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 341-371.

Haslam, S. A., Oakes, P. J., Turner, J. C. & McGarty, C. (1995) Social categorization and group homogeneity: Changes in the perceived applicability of stereotype content as a function of comparative context and trait favourableness.British Journal of Social Psychology, 34, 139-160.

Haslam, S. A., Oakes, P. J., McGarty, C., Turner, J. C. & Onorato, R. (1995) Contextual shifts in the prototypicality of extreme and moderate outgroup members.European Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 509-530.

Turner, J. C. with Hogg, Oakes, Reicher & Wetherell, (1995, 1999, Japanese & Italian translations) Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory. Oxford and New York: Basil Blackwell, 1987.

Haslam, S. A., Oakes, P. J., Turner, J. C. & McGarty, C. (1996) Social identity, self-categorization, and the perceived homogeneity of ingroups and outgroups: The interaction between social motivation and cognition. In R. M. Sorrentino and E. T. Higgins (Ed.s), Handbook of Motivation and Cognition (Vol. 3): The interpersonal context. New York: Guilford Press, pp. 182-222.

David, B. & Turner, J. C. (1996) Studies in self-categorization and minority conversion: Is being a member of the outgroup an advantage? British Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 179-199.

Haslam, S. A., Oakes, P. J., McGarty, C., Turner, J. C., Reynolds, K. & Eggins, R. (1996) Stereotyping and social influence: The mediation of stereotype applicability and sharedness by the views of ingroup and outgroup members.British Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 369-397.

Haslam, S. A., McGarty, C. A. and Turner, J. C. (1996) Salient group memberships and persuasion: The role of social identity in the validation of beliefs. In J. Nye and A. M. Brower (Ed.s), What's social about social cognition? Research on socially shared cognition in small groups. Thousand Oakes, CA: Sage Publications, pp. 29-58.

Turner, J. C. (1996) Henri Tajfel: An introduction. In W. P. Robinson (Ed.) Social groups and identities: Developing the legacy of Henri Tajfel. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.

Turner, J. C. & Bourhis, R. Y. (1996) Social identity, interdependence and the social group: A reply to Rabbie et al.. In W. P. Robinson (Ed.) Social groups and identities: Developing the legacy of Henri Tajfel. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.

Bourhis, R. Y., Turner, J. C. & Gagnon, A. (1997) Interdependence, social identity and discrimination: Some empirical considerations. In R. Spears, P. J. Oakes, N. Ellemers & S. A. Haslam (Ed.s) The social psychology of stereotyping and group life. Oxford, UK and Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.

Turner, J. C. & Oakes, P. J. (1997) The socially structured mind. In C. McGarty and S. A. Haslam (Ed.s), The message of social psychology. Oxford: Blackwell.

Haslam, S. A., Turner, J. C., Oakes, P. J., McGarty, C. & Reynolds, K. J. (1998). The group as a basis for emergent stereotype consensus.European Review of Social Psychology, 8, 203-239.

Haslam, S.A., Turner, J.C., Oakes, P.J., Reynolds, K.J., Eggins, R.A., Nolan, M. & Tweedie, J. (1998) When do stereotypes become really consensual? Investigating the group-based dynamics of the consensualization process.European Journal of Social Psychology, 28, 755-776.

Haslam, S. A. & Turner, J. C. (1998). Extremism and deviance: Beyond taxonomy and bias.Social Research , 65, 435-448.

Oakes, P. J., Haslam, S. A., & Turner, J. C. (1998). The role of prototypicality in group influence and cohesion: Contextual variation in the graded structure of social categories. In S. Worchel, J. F. Morales, D. Paez & J-C. Deschamps (Eds.), Social identity: International perspectives. London, UK & Newbury Park, USA: Sage.

Turner, J. C. & Onorato, R. (1999) Social identity, personality and the self-concept: A self-categorization perspective. In T. R. Tyler, R. Kramer, & O. John (Ed.s), The psychology of the social self. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

David, B. & Turner, J. C. (1999) Studies in self-categorization and minority conversion: The ingroup minority in intragroup and intergroup contexts.British Journal of Social Psychology, 38, 115-134.

Haslam, S. A., Oakes, P. J., Reynolds, K. J. & Turner, J. C. (1999) Social identity salience and the emergence of stereotype consensus.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 809-818.

Turner, J. C. (1999) Current issues in research on social identity and self-categorization theories. In N. Ellemers, R. Spears & B. Doosje (Eds.), Social identity: Context, commitment, content. Oxford, UK & Cambridge, USA: Blackwell.

Oakes, P. J., Reynolds, K. J., Haslam, S. A. & Turner, J. C. (1999) Part of life's rich tapestry: Stereotyping and the politics of intergroup relations.Advances in group processes, 16, 125-160.

Reynolds, K. J., Turner, J. C., & Haslam, S. A. (2000) When are we better than them and they worse than us? A closer look at social discrimination in positive and negative domains.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 64-80.

Haslam, S. A., Powell, C. & Turner, J. C. (2000) Social identity, self-categorization and work motivation: Rethinking the contribution of the group to positive and sustainable organizational outcomes.Applied Psychology: An International Review, 49, 319-339.

Turner, J. C. and Haslam, S. A. (2001) Social identity, organizations and leadership. In M. E. Turner (Ed.), Groups at Work. Advances in theory and research. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, pp. 25-65.

Reynolds, K. J., & Turner. J. C. (2001) Understanding prejudice, discrimination and social conflict: A social identity perspective. In M Augoustinos & K. J. Reynolds (Eds.) Us and them: Understanding the psychology of prejudice and racism. London, UK: Sage.

David, B. & Turner, J. C. (2001) Majority and minority influence: A single-process self-categorization model. In C. de Dreu & N. K. De Vriess (Ed.s), Group consensus and minority influence: Implications for innovation. Oxford: Blackwell.

Turner, J. C. & Reynolds, K. J. (2001) The social identity perspective in intergroup relations: Theories, themes and controversies. In R. Brown & S. Gaertner (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology: Vol 4: Intergroup processes. Oxford, UK and Cambridge, USA: Blackwell.

Onorato, R. & Turner, J. C. (2001) The "I", the "me", and the "us": The psychological group and self-concept maintenance and change. In C. Sedikides & M. B. Brewer (Eds.), Individual self, relational self, and collective self. Bristol, PA, USA: Psychology Press.

David, B. & Turner, J. C. (2001) Self-categorization principles underlying majority and minority influence. In J. P. Forgas and K. D. Williams (Eds.), Social influence: Direct and indirect processes. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.

Reynolds, K, Turner, J. C., Haslam, S. A. & Ryan, M (2001) The role of personality and group factors in explaining prejudice.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 37, 427-434.

Haslam, S. A., Platow, M. J., Turner, J. C., Reynolds, K. J., McGarty, C. M., Oakes, P. J., Johnson, S., Ryan, M. K. & Veenstra, K. et al. (2001) Social identity and the romance of leadership: The importance of being seen to be "doing it for us".Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 4, 191-205.

Brown, P. M. & Turner, J. C. (2002) The role of theories in the formation of stereotype content. In C. McGarty, V. Y. Yzerbyt & R. Spears (Ed.s), Stereotypes as explanations: The formation of meaningful beliefs about social groups. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp 67-89.

Haslam, S. A., Turner, J. C., Oakes, P. J., Reynolds, K. & Doosje, B. (2002) From personal pictures in the head to collective tools in the world: How shared stereotypes allow groups to represent and change social reality. In C. McGarty, V. Y. Yzerbyt & R. Spears (Ed.s), Stereotypes as explanations: The formation of meaningful beliefs about social groups. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 157-185.

Onorato, R. & Turner, J. C. (2002) Challenging the primacy of the personal self: The case for depersonalized self-conception. In Y. Kashima, M. Foddy & M. J. Platow (Eds.), Self and Identity: Personal, Social, and Symbolic. London: Lawrence Erlbaum, pp. 145-178.

Turner, J. C., & Reynolds, K. J. (2003). Why social dominance theory has been falsified.British Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 199-206.

Turner, J. C. (2003, orig, 1991) Social influence. Moscow: Piter Press (Russian translation, translated Z. Zamchuk).

Reynolds, K. J., Turner, J. C., & Haslam, S. A. (2003). Social identity and self-categorization theories' contribution to understanding identification, salience and diversity in teams and organizations. In M. A. Neale & Mannix (Series Eds.) & J. T. Polzer (Vol. Ed.), Research on managing groups and teams: Vol. 5. Identity issues in groups (pp. 279-304). Oxford: Elsevier Science.

Turner, J. C. (2004). Why the self matters. Foreword to B. Simon, Identity in modern society: A social psychological perspective (pp. x-xv). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

Reynolds, K. J., Oakes, P. J, Haslam, S.A., Turner, J.C. & M. K. Ryan (2004) Social identity as the basis of group entitativity: Elaborating the case for the "science of social groups per se". In V. Yzerbyt, C. M. Judd, & O. Corneille (Eds.), The Psychology of Group Perception: Perceived variability, entitativity, and essentialism (pp. 317-333). New York & Hove: Psychology Press.

Turner, J. C. (2004). What the social identity approach is and why it is important. Foreword to S. A. Haslam.Psychology in organizations: The social identity approach (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

Onorato, R. S. & Turner, J. C. (2004) Fluidity in the self-concept: The shift from personal to social identity.European Journal of Social Psychology, 34, 257-278.

Tajfel, H. & Turner, J. C. (2004) An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In M. J. Hatch & M. Schultz (Ed.s), Organizational identity: A reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 56-65.

Turner, J. C. (2005) Explaining the nature of power: A three-process theory.European Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 1-22.

Turner, J. C. (2006) Mind in the organized social environment. In P. A. M. Van Lange (Ed.), Bridging Social Psychology: Benefits of Transdisciplinary Approaches. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Turner, J. C., Reynolds, K. J., Haslam, S. A. & Veenstra, K. (2006) Reconceptualizing personality: Producing individuality by defining the personal self. In T. Postmes & J. Jetten (Ed.s), Individuality and the group: Advances in social identity. London: Sage, pp. 11-36.

Turner, J. C. (2006) Tyranny, freedom and social structure: Escaping our theoretical prisons.British Journal of Social Psychology, 45, 41-46.

Reynolds, K. J., Turner, J. C., Haslam, S. A., Ryan, M. K., Bizumic, B., & Subasic, E. (in press). Does personality explain ingroup identification and discrimination? Evidence from the minimal group paradigm.British Journal of Social Psychology.

Reynolds, K. J. & Turner, J. C. (in press) Individuality and the prejudiced personality.European Review of Social Psychology.

Turner, J. C. (in press) Self-categorization theory. In R. Baumeister & K. Vohs (Ed.s), Encyclopedia of Social Psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Reynolds, K. J., Turner, J. C., Veenstra, K., Haslam, S. A. & Burgess, N. (2004, under revision) Power and social identity: The differential effects of ingroup and outgroup leadership on power and compliance. ANU.

Reynolds, K. J., Veenstra, K., Turner, J. C., Haslam, S. A. (2004, under revision) Social identity and leadership: Transformational style as panacea? ANU.

Reynolds, K. J., Turner, J. C., Ryan, M. K., Mavor, K. I. & McKone, E. (2006, under revision) How stable is the "prejudiced personality"? An examination of variability in authoritarianism and implicit and explicit prejudice. ANU.