A Meta-synthetic Approach to Researches in Social Identity

Wider scope and distribution of research in social identity (SI) has made the necessity of a systematic review of the scientific research more obvious than ever. An evaluation of the approaches, methodologies, results as well as the assessment approach to SI can be considered as an effective step to depict such studies more comprehensively. So, this study, aimed at classifying the pertinent studies in SI and paving the way for defining it and offering a full-fledged and an applied investigation into it, tries to address the question that “what were the approaches behind the previous studies in defining and investigating SI?

In light of a qualitative meta-analytic approach based on Sandelowski’s and Barroso’s seven-step strategy, a general analysis has been made following an investigation and comparison of the pertinent studies and their qualitative assessment in terms of approach, method and results.

While achieving the three parameters including in SI studies, this research revealed that no organized and integrated investigations have been made to address SI based on a comprehensive and applied scientific approach. So, some kind of theoretical and methodological dispersion and multiplicity is seen in such studies.

There is no conceptual consensus among the pertinent studies in SI, and they are suffering from some type of scholastic reductionism in its definition and assessment due to lack of a cohesive analytic, theoretical, and methodological bases. To compensate for the shortcomings and offering an integrative theory, conducting meta-scholastic studies in the process of SI construction are suggested.