Based on motivated identity construction theory (MICT; Vignoles, 2011), we offer an integrative approach examining the combined roles of six identity motives (self-esteem, distinctiveness, belonging, meaning, continuity, and efficacy) instantiated at three different motivational levels (personal, social, and collective identity) as predictors of group identification. These identity processes were investigated among 369 members of 45 sports teams from England and Italy in a longitudinal study over 6 months with four time points. Multilevel change modeling and cross-lagged analyses showed that satisfaction of four personal identity motives (individuals’ personal feelings of self-esteem, distinctiveness, meaning, and efficacy derived from team membership), three social identity motives (individuals’ feelings that the team identity carries a sense of belonging, meaning, and continuity), and one collective identity motive (a shared belief in group distinctiveness) significantly predicted group identification. Motivational processes underlying group identification are complex, multilayered, and not reducible to personal needs.
AbersonC. L.HealyM.RomeroV. (2000). Ingroup bias and self-esteem: A meta-analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 157-173. doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0402_04
2.
AbramsD.HoggM. A. (1988). Comments on the motivational status of self-esteem in social identity and intergroup discrimination. European Journal of Social Psychology, 18, 317-334. doi:10.1002/ejsp.2420180403
3.
AbramsD.HoggM. A. (1999). Social identity and social cognition. Oxford, UK: Blackwell. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.112.4.545
4.
AllisonP. D. (2003). Missing data techniques for structural equation modeling. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112, 545-557. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.112.4.545
5.
AmiotC. E.SansfaçonS. (2011). Motivations to identify with social groups: A look at their positive and negative consequences. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 15, 105-127. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.112.4.545
6.
AshmoreR. D.DeauxK.McLaughlin-VolpeT. (2004). An organizing framework for collective identity: Articulation and significance of multidimensionality. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 80-114. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.130.1.80
7.
BaumeisterR. F.LearyM. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497-529. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497
8.
BeckerM.VignolesV. L.OweE.BrownR.SmithP. B.EasterbrookM.. . . YamakoğluN. (2012). Culture and the distinctiveness motive: Constructing identity in individualistic and collectivistic contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102, 833-855. doi:10.1037/a0026853
9.
BeckerM.VignolesV. L.OweE.EasterbrookM. J.BrownR.SmithP. B.KollerS. H. (2014). Cultural bases for self-evaluation seeing oneself positively in different cultural contexts. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40, 657-675. doi:10.1177/0146167214522836
10.
BrewerM. B. (1991). The social self: On being the same and different at the same time. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17, 475-482. doi:10.1177/0146167291175001
11.
BrislinR. W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1, 185-216. doi:10.1177/135910457000100301
12.
BrownR. (2000). Group processes: Dynamics within and between groups. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell. doi:10.2307/2072391
13.
BrownR. (2010). Prejudice: Its social psychology. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley. doi:10.2307/591756
14.
BryantF. B.SatorraA. (2012). Principles and practice of scaled difference chi-square testing. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 19, 372-398. doi:10.1080/10705511.2012.687671
15.
CameronJ. (2004). A three-component model of social identification. Self and Identity, 3, 239-262. doi:10.1080/13576500444000047
16.
ChristO.SchmidK.LolliotS.SwartH.StolleD.TauschN.. . . HewstoneM. (2014). Contextual effect of positive intergroup contact on outgroup prejudice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111, 3996-4000. doi:10.1073/pnas.1320901111
17.
DeciE. L.RyanR. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7
18.
EasterbrookM.VignolesV. L. (2012). Different groups, different motives: Identity motives underlying changes in identification with novel groups. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 1066-1080. doi:10.1177/0146167212444614
19.
EllemersN.KortekaasP.OuwerkerkJ. W. (1999). Self-categorisation, commitment to the group and group self-esteem as related but distinct aspects of social identity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 29, 371-389. doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-0992(199903/05)29:2/3<371::aid-ejsp932>3.3.co;2-l
20.
FarrR. M. (1996). The roots of modern social psychology, 1872-1954. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
21.
FeltzD.ShortS.SullivanP. (2008). Self efficacy in sport: Research and strategies for working with athletes, teams and coaches. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 3, 293-295. doi:10.1260/174795408785100699
22.
FinkelS. E. (1995). Causal analysis with panel data. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. doi:10.4135/9781412983594
23.
HaslamS. A.EllemersN. (2011). Identity processes in organizations. In SchwartzS. J.LuyckxK.VignolesV. L. (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 715-744). New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_30
24.
HaslamS. A.JettenJ.PostmesT.HaslamC. (2009). Social identity, health and wellbeing: An emerging agenda for applied psychology. Applied Psychology, 58(1), 1-23. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2008.00379.x
25.
HaslamS. A.van KnippenbergD.PlatowM. J.EllemersN. (2003). Social identity at work: Developing theory for organizational practice. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
26.
HoffmanL. (2015). Longitudinal analysis: Modeling within-person fluctuation and change. New York, NY: Routledge.
27.
HofmannD. A.GavinM. B. (1998). Centering decisions in hierarchical linear models: Implications for research in organizations. Journal of Management, 24, 623-641. doi:10.1177/014920639802400504
28.
HoggM. A. (2000). Subjective uncertainty reduction through self-categorization: A motivational theory of social identity processes. European Review of Social Psychology, 11, 223-255. doi:10.1080/14792772043000040
29.
HoggM. A. (2007). Uncertainty–identity theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 39, 69-126. doi:10.1016/S0065-2601(06)39002-8
30.
HoggM. A.AbramsD. E. (1993). Group motivation: Social psychological perspectives. London, England: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
31.
HoggM. A.AdelmanJ. (2013). Uncertainty–identity theory: Extreme groups, radical behavior, and authoritarian leadership. Journal of Social Issues, 69, 436-454. doi:10.1111/josi.12023
32.
HuL.BentlerP. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6, 1-55. doi:10.1080/10705519909540118
33.
JacksonJ. W. (2002). Intergroup attitudes as a function of different dimensions of group identification and perceived intergroup conflict. Self and Identity, 1, 11-33. doi:10.1080/152988602317232777
34.
>JansL.LeachC.W.GarciaR. L.PostmesT.(2015). The development of group influence on in-group identification: A multilevel approach. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 18, 190-209. doi:10.1177/1368430214540757
35.
JaspalR.BreakwellG. M. (Eds.). (2014). Identity process theory: Identity, social action and social change. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139136983
36.
JettenJ.SpearsR.MansteadA. S. (1997). Distinctiveness threat and prototypicality: Combined effects on intergroup discrimination and collective self-esteem. European Journal of Social Psychology, 27, 635-657.
37.
JohnsonA. L.CrawfordM. T.ShermanS. J.RutchickA. M.HamiltonD. L.FerreiraM. B.PetrocelliJ. V. (2006). A functional perspective on group memberships: Differential need fulfillment in a group typology. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 707-719. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2005.08.002
38.
KennyD. A. (2005). Cross-lagged panel design. New York, NY: John Wiley. doi:10.1002/9781118445112.stat06464/full
LeachC. W.van ZomerenM.ZebelS.VliekM. L.PennekampS. F.DoosjeB.. . . SpearsR. (2008). Group-level self-definition and self-investment: A hierarchical (multicomponent) model of in-group identification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 144-165. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.144
41.
LeeC.FarhJ.ChenZ. (2011). Promoting group potency in project teams: The importance of group identification. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32, 1147-1162. doi:10.1002/job.741
42.
LuhtanenR.CrockerJ. (1992). A collective self-esteem scale: Self-evaluation of one’s social identity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 302-318. doi:10.1177/0146167292183006
43.
MummendeyA. (1995). Positive distinctiveness and social discrimination: An old couple living in divorce. European Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 657-670. doi:10.1002/ejsp.2420250605
OnoratoR. S.TurnerJ. C. (2004). Fluidity in the self-concept: The shift from personal to social identity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 34, 257-278. doi:10.1002/ejsp.195
46.
OzekiM. (2015). Group-level group identity as a basis of a group. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 19, 166-180. doi:10.1037/gdn0000030
47.
PickettC. L.SilverM. D.BrewerM. B. (2002). The impact of assimilation and differentiation needs on perceived group importance and judgments of ingroup size. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 546-558. doi:10.1177/0146167202287011
48.
PostmesT.HaslamS. A.JansL. (2013). A single-item measure of social identification: Reliability, validity, and utility. British Journal of Social Psychology, 52, 597-617. doi:10.1111/bjso.12006
49.
RasbashJ.BrowneW. J.HealyM.CameronB.CharltonC. (2014). MLwiN Version 2.31. Bristol, UK: Centre for Multilevel Modelling, University of Bristol.
50.
ReicherS. D.SpearsR.HaslamS. A.(2010). The social identity approach in social psychology. InM. S.WetherellC. T.Mohanty(Eds.), Sage handbook of identities (pp. 45-62). London, UK: Sage.
51.
ReysenS.Katzarska-MillerI.NesbitS. M.PierceL. (2013). Further validation of a single-item measure of social identification. European Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 463-470.
52.
SaniF.BoweM.HerreraM. (2008). Perceived collective continuity and social well-being: Exploring the connections. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38, 365-374. doi:10.1002/ejsp.461
53.
ScheepersD.SpearsR.DoosjeB.MansteadA. S. (2002). Integrating identity and instrumental approaches to intergroup differentiation: Different contexts, different motives. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1455-1467. doi:10.1177/014616702237574
54.
SellersR. M.SmithM. A.SheltonJ. N.RowleyS. A. J.ChavousT. M. (1998). Multidimensional model of racial identity: A reconceptualization of African American identity. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2, 18-39. doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0201_2
55.
SingerJ. D.WillettJ. B. (2003). Applied longitudinal data analysis: Modeling change and event occurrence. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195152968.001.0001
56.
SireciS. G.YangY.HarterJ.EhrlichE. J. (2006). Evaluating guidelines for test adaptations: A methodological analysis if translation quality. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 37, 557-567. doi:10.1177/0022022106290478
57.
SmeekesA.VerkuytenM. (2013). Collective self-continuity, group identification and in-group defense. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 984-994. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2013.06.004
58.
SmeekesA.VerkuytenM. (2014). Perceived group continuity, collective self-continuity, and in-group identification. Self and Identity, 13, 663-680. doi:10.1080/15298868.2014.898685
59.
SmeekesA.VerkuytenM. (2015). The presence of the past: Identity continuity and group dynamics. European Review of Social Psychology, 26, 162-202. doi:10.1080/10463283.2015.1112653
60.
SpearsR.JettenJ.ScheepersD.CihangirS. (2009). Creative distinctiveness: Explaining in-group bias in minimal groups. In OttenS.KesslerT.SassenbergK. (Eds.), Intergroup relations: The role of motivation and emotion; A festschrift in honor of Amélie Mummendey (pp. 23-40). New York, NY: Psychology Press.
61.
TajfelH. (1979). Individuals and groups in social psychology. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 18, 183-190. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8260.1979.tb00324.x
62.
TajfelH.TurnerJ. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In AustinW. G.WorchelS. (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33-74). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
63.
TaylorD. M.BrownR. J. (1979). Towards a more social social psychology?British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 18, 173-180. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8260.1979.tb00322.x
64.
ThomasW. E.BrownR. J.EasterbrookM.VignolesV. L.D’AngeloC.ManziC.HoltJ. (2016). Team level identity predicts perceived and actual team performance: A longitudinal multilevel analyses with real teams. Manuscript submitted for publication, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
65.
TurnerJ. C.HoggM. A.OakesP. J.ReicherS. D.WetherellM. S. (1987). Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell. doi:10.2307/2073157
66.
van VeelenR.OttenS.CadinuM.HansenN. (2016). An integrative model of social identification self-stereotyping and self-anchoring as two cognitive pathways. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 20, 3-26. doi:10.1177/1088868315576642
67.
VignolesV. L. (2011). Identity motives. In SchwartzS. J.LuyckxK.VignolesV. L. (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 1-27). New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_18
68.
VignolesV. L.ChryssochoouX.BreakwellG. M. (2000). The distinctiveness principle: Identity, meaning, and the bounds of cultural relativity. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 337-354. doi:10.1207/S15327957PSPR0404_4
69.
VignolesV. L.RegaliaC.ManziC.GolledgeJ.ScabiniE. (2006). Beyond self-esteem: Influence of multiple motives on identity construction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 308-333. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.90.2.308
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
