John Turner (psychologist)

John Charles Turner
Born7 September 1947
Died24 July 2011(2011-07-24) (aged 63)
Alma materSussex University, University of Bristol
Known forself-categorization theory
Scientific career
FieldsSocial psychology
InstitutionsUniversity of Bristol, Macquarie University, Australia National University
ThesisSocial categorization and social comparison in intergroup relations (1975)
Doctoral advisorHenri Tajfel
Doctoral studentsMichael Hogg, Stephen Reicher, Margaret Wetherell

John Charles Turner (7 September 1947 – 24 July 2011) was a British social psychologist who, along with colleagues, developed the self-categorization theory. Amongst other things, the theory states that the self is not a foundational aspect of cognition, but rather that the self is an outcome of cognitive processes and an interaction between the person and the social context. The self-categorization theory was developed as a companion theory to the social identity theory, and the two theories taken together are known as the social identity approach.