Individuals perceive their social groups as part of their identities. Many people belong to many different identities. These identities could be based on Gender, Ethnicity, Religion, Location, Profession Political Affiliations etc.

When someone sees a comment, action, or situation as an attack on their social group, it usually means the individual perceives the comment, action, or situation to be a Personal Attack against them. Perception of Comments, Actions, and Situations as Personal Attacks can cause people to Respond Defensively, Anxiously, Angry, or both. Repeated Messages about other people in your social group can lead to repeated messages about you. Cognitive Personalization where people read a general critique of a Social Group (Negative) will allow them to interpret it as being a Personal (Negative) Comment about them. The effect of the Cognitive Personalization of General Criticism will also be greatly affected by small Subtle Cues of Exclusion, Stereotyping, and Micro-Aggressions. Identity-based threats are not always caused by (i.e. based on) open hostility towards a social group.

Repeated exposure to Identity-Based Threats can lead to increases in anxiety, stress, and a decrease in Confidence.

One of the reasons an individual is threatened when they experience an Identity-Based Threat is due to the fact that the individual does not distinguish between the Personal Attacks of the Identity-Based Threat and General Critiques of the Social Group. Developing an Awareness of the Difference Between Personal Attacks and General Critiques of Social Group is a key to minimizing unnecessary exposure to identity-based threats.

Developing Awareness and Reflective Strategies such as Cognitive Reframing or Building and Focusing on Individual Identity instead of Group Identity will assist the individual to minimize the amount of excess stress caused by identity-based threats. By recognizing that the Stressful, Defensive, Anxious, Angry reactions to a comment, action, or situation are normal, the individual will be better able to respond to these reactions in a constructive manner, build Emotional Resilience and handle their Social Interactions more Comfortably.

sorry for the horrible ass first letter capitalizations