For IPT to be a useful model of the creation and dynamic evolution of identity, it
needed to be linked to a theory which explained the way social knowledge and values are
generated and transformed. Moscovici’s theory of social representations (SRT) offered this
vital link. The IPT approach to identity emphasises the vital role of social representational
processes in shaping identity but also suggests that identity processes may be significant in
determining the evolution of social representations (Breakwell and Canter, 1993). In
developing this argument it is important to remember that we are not merely referring to
social identity (that part of identity derived from group memberships) but to the total
constellation of characteristics which comprise the whole identity (including those which
might be considered psychological attributes, for example personality traits or cognitive
capacities, that is, aspects of the person which are long-lived and, though differentially
manifest across situations, relate to behaviour in a systematic manner).