The difference between social and personal identity is not dependent on the characteristic (attribute) being measured or the potential scope of inclusivity of the characteristic (attribute). For example a man can think he is stronger than all his friends and also believe that his friends are stronger than another group of friends. 

What matters is how an individual defines the self at a given moment:
 - I v them; me v him/her; etc.
- Us vs them; We v him/her; etc.



Difference between personal and social identity

The self-categories that an individual identifies with (is defined by) in becoming a unique person by being different from other (in-group) persons

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

The grouping (identifying) of ones' self with a class (of stimuli) that is separate/different from another class 

Self-categories

Turner, J. C., Oakes, P. J., Haslam, S. A., & McGarty, C. (1994). Self and collective: Cognition and social context. Personality and social psychology bulletin, 20(5), 454-463.

 Self and collective: Cognition and social context (Turner 1994)

Personal identity

The social categorization of an individual with respect to their peers (self and others). There are shared self-categories that are identified with by members of a group (us v them; races, genders, nationalities, friend groups,  etc.)

Social identity

Self categories are not fixed - individuals can toggle through self-categories based on their needs and relevance to a present situation.  Self-categories are flexible as to allow the individual to adapt to the social context.

Context dependance of self-categories

Four things can create a more stable self-categorization:
- 1) The stability of the social reality that contexts arise from
- 2) The knowledge structures of the perceiver that create the coherence and understanding of a situation
- 3) The social groups and cultures that expose the perceiver to different values, norms and motives
- 4) The communication methods and social influences that go into establishing social norms (and validate their existence)

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