Goal commitment and alignment of personal goals predict group identification only when the goals are shared

Abstract

Selfish pursuits of personal goals in group contexts may conflict with the group goal. Drawing on the shared reality theory and the intersubjective consensus approach to cultural dynamics, however, we propose that commitment to personal goals would be accompanied by greater group identification when individual group members realize that their personal goals are widely shared in the group. In one experiment (Study 1), we manipulated perceived sharedness of personal goals and found that commitment to personal goals correlated positively with group identification only when participants learned that their goals were shared. Subsequent surveys that incorporated a 3-month longitudinal design (Studies 2 and 3) further confirmed that goal commitment and alignment with personal goals predicted group identification only when the goals were shared in the group.