Uncertainty, entitativity, and group identification

Two studies examined the effects of self-uncertainty and ingroup entitativity on group identification. From uncertainty reduction theory ( Hogg, 2000), it was hypothesized that people would identify most strongly with their group if they felt self-conceptually uncertain and the group was highly enti...

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Published inJournal of experimental social psychology Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 135 - 142
Main Authors Hogg, Michael A., Sherman, David K., Dierselhuis, Joel, Maitner, Angela T., Moffitt, Graham
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 2007
Elsevier
Academic Press
Subjects
Biological and medical sciences
Effects
Entitativity
Extremism
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Group behaviour
Group dynamics
Intergroup behavior
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Social identity
Social interactions. Communication. Group processes
Social psychology
Studies
Uncertainty
Uncertainty reduction
Uncertainty reduction
Intergroup behavior
Entitativity
Extremism
Social identity
Human
Uncertainty
Social group
Identification
Social belonging
Social behavior
Social interaction
Intergroup relation
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Summary:Two studies examined the effects of self-uncertainty and ingroup entitativity on group identification. From uncertainty reduction theory ( Hogg, 2000), it was hypothesized that people would identify most strongly with their group if they felt self-conceptually uncertain and the group was highly entitative. Study 1 was a field experiment ( N = 114) in which the perceived entitativity of participants’ political party was measured, and self-uncertainty was primed (high vs. low). Study 2 was a laboratory experiment ( N = 89) with ad hoc non-interactive groups. Uncertainty was primed as in Study 1, but perceived entitativity was manipulated. In both cases the dependent variable was a multi-item measure of group identification. The hypothesis was fully supported in both studies—participants identified more strongly when they were uncertain and the group was highly entitative. Implications of this research for the role of uncertainty and social identity in extremism, orthodoxy, and ideological belief systems are discussed.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 23
ISSN:0022-1031
1096-0465
DOI:10.1016/j.jesp.2005.12.008