Personal identity and social identity: two different processes or a single one? / Identidad personal e identidad social. ¿Dos procesos diferentes o uno solo?

Abstract

Personal identity, or the definition of oneself in terms of personal idiosyncratic attributes, and social identity, or the definition of oneself in terms of affiliations with different categories or groups, have often been examined as two separate phenomena in the psychosocial literature. However, there are at least two theories which have deliberately researched the relationship between the two. One of these theories has done so for almost five decades (Social Identity Theory), while the alternative approach (Identity Fusion, or the visceral sense of oneness with the group) began to be developed less than one decade ago. The purpose of this special issue is to survey how approaches grounded upon both theories have attempted to explain some individuals’ extreme behaviours for their group. It also includes studies that examine the origins of identity fusion, the processes that relate it with extreme behaviour (such as the extension of familial ties to groups or the acceptance of violence), as well as a subtle demonstration of how group identity can affect interpersonal relationships.     

Groups and individuals: conformity and diversity in the performance of gendered identities

The nature and role of social groups is a central tension in sociology. On the one hand, the idea of a group enables sociologists to locate and describe individuals in terms of characteristics that are shared with others. On the other, emphasizing the fluidity of categories such as gender or ethnicity undermines their legitimacy as ways of classifying people and, by extension, the legitimacy of categorization as a goal of sociological research. In this paper, we use a new research method known as the Imitation Game to defend the social group as a sociological concept. We show that, despite the diversity of practices that may be consistent with self‐identified membership of a group, there are also shared normative expectations – typically narrower in nature than the diversity displayed by individual group members – that shape the ways in which category membership can be discussed with, and performed to, others. Two claims follow from this. First, the Imitation Game provides a way of simultaneously revealing both the diversity and ‘groupishness’ of social groups. Second, that the social group, in the quasi‐Durkheimian sense of something that transcends the individual, remains an important concept for sociology.     

Social Identity and Intergroup Relations Within the Hospital

City hospitals are complex organizations made up of thousands of employees with a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds, and representing diverse occupational roles. These various groups often have differing religious and philosophical belief systems, which creates a complex combination of people similar to a small urban city. This paper investigated this multicultural society within the hospital and looked specifically at how various occupational groups define themselves in terms of their social identity. In addition, the paper also explored how various occupational groups related with one another. This study explored specifically the intergroup relations of the psychiatric staff and their supporting personnel. These groups were understood within the theoretical framework of Tajfel's social identity theory (1978, 1982), and Allport's (1954) intergroup contact theory, as well as Sherif (1961) and Turner's (1975) concept of the in group/out group process.     

From interpersonal to extended fusion: relationships between fusion with siblings and fusion with the country / Desde la fusión interpersonal a la fusión extendida: Relaciones entre la fusión con los hermanos y la fusión con el país

Abstract

Identity fusion is a visceral feeling of oneness with a group. Although research on identity fusion focuses on the alignment of individuals with groups, we propose that fusion can develop between two individuals. In particular, we explore for the first time identity fusion between siblings and its relation with endorsement of extreme behaviour to protect the sibling. In a study conducted with 761 couples of siblings we found that fusion with the sibling is positively associated with willingness to fight and die for the sibling. Additionally, we address the relation between interpersonal and extended fusion. Specifically, a positive association between fusion with the sibling and fusion with the country emerged. The hypothesis that extended fusion might require the projection of interpersonal ties to a large category is discussed.     

How statelessness can force refugees to redefine their ethnicity: what can be learned from Russian émigrés dispersed to six continents in the inter-war period?

This article explores how approximately 400 Russian émigrés living in fifty-eight countries during the inter-war period redefined Russian ethnicity. In responses to an amateur nation-building project, they provided a wide variety of either organic or voluntaristic definitions of Russianness, despite the fact that they were a fairly homogenous group in terms of their political views and their social background. Most of their criteria for determining Russianness were dissimilar to pre-revolutionary conceptions. Yet one overarching feature united their conceptions of Russianness: they were all intent on excluding entire groups of would-be Russians, even though it was in their interests to expand the size of the Russian diaspora. This article argues that statelessness forced Russian émigrés to refine their ethnicity and that the process of defining members of their diaspora nation paralleled their endeavour to create a Russian émigré ethnicity separate from that of Soviet Russians. The criteria they developed to exclude groups and sometimes individuals they encountered abroad mirror the criteria that used to disassociate themselves from Soviet Russians.     

Social Identity and Intergroup Relations Within the Hospital

City hospitals are complex organizations made up ofthousands ofemployees with a variety ofethnic and racial backgrounds, and representing diverse occupational roles. These various groups often have differing religious and philosophical belief systems, which creates a complex combination of people similar to a small urban city. This paper investigated this multicultural society within the hospital and looked specifically at how various occupational groups define themselves in terms of their social identity. In addition, the paper also explored how various occupational groups related with one another. This study explored specifically the intergroup relations ofthe psychiatric staffand their supporting personnel. These groups were understood within the theoreticalframework of Tajfel’s social identity theory (1978,1982), and Allport’s (1954) intergroup contact theory, as well as Sherif (1961) and Turner's (1975) concept ofthe in group/out group process.     

Subcultural Identity Work in Social Movements: Barriers to Collective Identity Changes and Overcoming Them

Over time, social movements must contend with a vast array of forces that can lead to changes in the movement's collective identity. As such changes may impact the alignment of movements and their membership, this study explores how changes are perceived by members and how they are interactively addressed. Drawing on ethnographic data gathered from two Native American social movement organizations, this study specifically asks why some changes suggested by movement members might be pursued and others are not. While movement members felt that there were a number of barriers to changes in their movements, the study revealed that it was the resonance of collective memories – presented during interactions as narrative commemorations – that encouraged the pursuit of suggested changes or the maintenance of a status quo.     

Using social support levels to predict sexual identity development among college students who identify as a sexual minority

This study examined the impact of five domains of social support (a campus group for individuals who identify as a sexual minority, family, friends, significant others, and faith communities) on eight aspects of sexual minority identity development (identity uncertainty, internalized homonegativity, identity affirmation, acceptance concerns, identity superiority, concealment motivation, identity centrality, and difficulty in the identity development process). Support from a sexuality-specific campus group was the strongest predictor, followed by support from family members. Supports from friends and significant others had no significant impact on any aspect of sexual minority identity development, while faith community support was not correlated with identity development. Identifying as lesbian, bisexual, or as another sexual minority compared to identifying as gay also impacted sexual minority identity development.     

Negative reciprocity and its relation to anger-like emotions in identity-homogeneous and -heterogeneous groups

Several studies have shown that social identity fosters the provision of public goods and enhances the willingness to reciprocate the cooperative behavior of group members. Nonetheless, the question of how social identity affects negative reciprocity in identity-homogeneous and -heterogeneous groups has only received little attention. Consequently, we seek to fill this gap by examining whether social identity affects individuals’ willingness to sanction deviating group members in a public good context. Moreover, we devote particular attention to the role of anger-like emotions in negative reciprocity. To test our hypotheses, we employ one-shot public good games in a strategy method with punishment opportunity and induced social identity. Our results indicate that members of identity-homogeneous groups are prone to reveal less negative reciprocity than identity-heterogeneous groups when they face contributions smaller than their own. We also find that anger-like emotions much more strongly influence punishment behavior when individuals are matched with members of different identities than in identity-homogenous groups. These findings contribute to an increased understanding of the nature of social identity and its impact on reciprocity, improving economists’ ability to predict behavior while taking emotions into consideration.     

Measuring warmth and competence at inter-group,interpersonal and individual levels / Medición de la cordialidad y la competencia en los niveles intergrupal,interindividual e individual

Abstract

Warmth and competence are universal dimensions of social perception that articulate the perception of other individuals and social groups. However, there are no scales that have systematically been used in psychosocial research. The purpose of this study is to construct two scales, one on warmth and another on competence, which could be used at the inter-group, interpersonal and individual levels. To accomplish this, we performed two studies. In Study I (N = 578 students and N = 540 general population), we tested the scales at the intergroup level (immigrant groups and Spaniards), the interpersonal level (people close to the participants) and the individual level (the participants themselves). In Study 2 (N = 184 students), the two scales were tested at an interpersonal level by evaluating 16 public figures. The results of both studies show that both the warmth scale (kind, pleasant, friendly, warm) and the competence scale (competent, effective, skilled, intelligent) achieved a high degree of reliability when reflecting the perception of groups, individuals and oneself.     

‘Pernicious aliens’ and the Mestizo Nation: Ethnicity and the shaping of collective identities in El Salvador before the second world war

At first sight, a study of Chinese and Arab immigrants in El Salvador seems to be of rather limited importance in respect to the debate on immigration and intergroup relations in a general sense. Not only the setting (a country of then 1.5 million inhabitants), but also the actors of the processes described in the present study (groups of immigrants comprising a few hundred members) seem rather marginal for the issues concerned ‐ the role ethnicity and immigration play in the formation of ethnic identity in the context of a national society in full process of formation and self‐definition.1 However, as the present study tries to demonstrate, research on these immigrant groups not only yields empirical data for a case study, but also raises questions about intergroup relations. It also offers a comparative perspective on two different minority groups and a direct comparison of mechanisms related to the formation of collective identities. The variability of these mechanisms under changing social circumstances, and also their variability in relation to different minority groups are of interest in the context of the ongoing debate about the ethnicity of minority goups within nation‐states.     

‘Don’t discriminate against minority nationalities’: practicing Tibetan ethnicity on social media

Through an analysis of popular posts Tibetans shared over the social media application WeChat in 2013 and 2014 and offline discussions about them, this paper shows how Tibetans living in and traveling through Xining City practiced and performed their ethnic identity in the face of perceived harassment. Through their viral posts, they created a cyber-community that contributed to Tibetan ethnic group formation when Tibetans interpreted their ethnic identity as the basis for unjust treatment by the Chinese state and private Han individuals. In online posts the Han are portrayed as harassing Tibetans after terror attacks across China, violating minzu rights, denigrating Tibetan culture and territory, and denying Tibetans equal footing as modern compatriots. Social media are changing the ‘representational politics’ of Tibetan ethnicity, altering participation in the representation of the Tibetan ethnic group. Still, online discourse remains subject to constraints; private offline discussions remain important fora of opinion exchange.     

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Experiences of Discrimination in Accessing Social Services Among Transgender/Gender-Nonconforming People

Members of the transgender/gender-nonconforming (GNC) community experience higher rates of discrimination based on their gender compared to their cisgender counterparts. Similarly, people of color experience higher rates of discrimination than White people. This study examines the difference in experiences of discrimination among transgender/GNC individuals in accessing social services providers by race/ethnicity (White and people of color). The data collected in a national cross-sectional survey (N = 6,451) and analyzed via chi-square test of independence and binary logistic regression demonstrate the disproportionate prevalence of discrimination based on race/ethnicity within the transgender/GNC population when accessing social services such as drug treatment centers, mental health clinics, domestic violence shelters, and rape crisis centers. Social workers are the most common provider of social services to the community, and have an ethical commitment to provision of services without discrimination. High rates of discrimination in accessing social services among transgender/GNC people, with even higher rates of discrimination for transgender/GNC people of color, highlight the need for improvement in social work education and practice.     

Ethnolinguistic repertoire: Shifting the analytic focus in language and ethnicity1

This paper addresses a contradiction in research on language and ethnicity: how can we discuss distinctively ethnic ways of speaking and still account for the variation and fluidity that characterize them? The theoretical construct introduced in this paper enables researchers to avoid this contradiction. ‘Ethnolinguistic repertoire’ is defined as a fluid set of linguistic resources that members of an ethnic group may use variably as they index their ethnic identities. This construct shifts the analytic focus from ethnic ‘language varieties’ to individuals, ethnic groups, and their distinctive linguistic features. It addresses problems of inter‐group, inter‐speaker, and intra‐speaker variation, as well as debates about who should be considered a speaker of a dialect. This approach, which can also be applied to social groupings beyond ethnicity, is discussed in relation to other approaches and is supported with data on language use in African American, Latino, and Jewish communities in the United States.     

Formation of Identity in Wartime El Salvador: Protective and Harmful Factors

In a qualitative study of the effects of war on identity in rural postwar El Salvador, 11 interviews from data collected 3 years after the war were analyzed for social and individual identity factors. Subjects had been adolescents during the civil war. Prolonged war experiences, especially for those who became combatants at a very early age, had a negative impact on identity formation. Those who had the greatest identity problems felt a deep sense of betrayal, abandonment, and/or a general lack of trust. This included those who felt betrayed by their group, which in war consisted of an armed political one.     

Towards the social analysis of twinship

The article examines the proposition that twinship is an irreducibly social phenomenon. Gender, age, birth order, socio-economic status and other variables are considered, along with the role of different patterns of socialization as these affect twinship. It is argued that, to a very large extent, from conception. through gestation, childbirth and subsequently childhood and adolescence, the social processing and regulation of social members take place in unitary terms and that therefore twins (and higher multiples) are an anomaly in relation to such processes. Twins' reactions to stigma, stereotyping and labelling are explored as an integral aspect of the social structuring of twinship. The role of the twin, as distinct from the role of the non-twin, is examined in the context of cultural expectations of twinship regarding similarity of identity and similarity of behaviour. Subsequent or concurrent processes of differentiation between twins are also examined. The article concludes with suggestions for further analyses of twinship.     

State ideology and the status of Iranian war widows

Imbedded in widowhood are emotional loss and change in personal life. For women, depending on social constructions of gender relations, widowhood can also lead to identity change, role adjustment and change in social status. Socio-economic and emotional supports rendered by family, community and society at large can highly impact widows in coping with change and making adjustments. These changes and the corresponding societal supports find new dimensions for ‘war widows’. The political nature of their widowhood may provide them with some benefits not enjoyed by non-war widows. As a token of public gratitude, political regimes compensate war widows and their children for their losses. Some political regimes weave political ideology into their compensatory programs, and through these programs they simultaneously raise widows' self-sufficiency and control their lives and thoughts. The specific case of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be examined here.     

Identity and the developmental origins of fusion: an exploratory approach / La identidad y los orígenes de la fusión en el desarrollo: un enfoque exploratorio

Abstract

Identity fusion involves a visceral feeling of oneness with a group, despite personal and social selves remaining differentiated. Previous research on identity fusion has focused on samples of adults and adolescents. The present studies aim at exploring how and when identity fusion develops in childhood. Our first goal was to find out to what extent personal and social identities must be developed for fusion to become possible. We conducted two exploratory studies where school-age children (six to 12 years old) participated in either focus group sessions or individual interviews. Our results show that although children are able to feel strongly connected with a group and express willingness to make significant personal sacrifices for the group, they fail to show fusion as it is found in adults, since their personal identity is not fully developed yet. Instead, these findings suggest the existence of a prior feeling that we called ‘protofusion’, the core of which is the strength of the relational ties with the members of the group.     

Explaining the motivational forces of (<Emphasis Type="Italic">dis</Emphasis>)Respect: How self-focused and group-focused concerns can result in the display of group-serving efforts

The current article explains the motives underlying respect-and disrespect induced group-serving efforts. Research showed that intra-group respect increases individuals’ engagement with their group and subsequent intentions to show group-serving efforts. We refer to this process as ‘the group-focused motive’. Based on a recent program of research on actual effort and performance evaluations, we conclude that respect-induced group-serving efforts are not only due to enhanced engagement with the group. In addition, we posit that behavioral motivations can also stem from self-focused concerns — we refer to these as ‘self-focused motives’. We argue that the perception of being respected boosts the self-evaluation of individual group members. Maintenance of this positive self-evaluation, together with respect-induced enhanced self-confidence, can cause individuals to show more contextual performance. Finally, when individuals are disrespected, this impacts negatively on their self-perception. As a result, these individuals show group-serving efforts in an attempt to re-establish their self-worth, and this occurs relatively independently of improvement concerns for the group. Dick de Gilder (TC.de.Gilder@fsw.vu.nl) currently is associate professor of organizational behavior at the VU University in Amsterdam. He studied at the University of Amsterdam and received his Ph.D. from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. His research interests include organizational commitment, error management, and research management.