Abstract
Across three studies, we examined the role of shared negative experiences in the formation of strong social bonds—identity fusion—previously associated with individuals' willingness to self-sacrifice for the sake of their groups. Studies 1 and 2 were correlational studies conducted on two different populations. In Study 1, we found that the extent to which Northern Irish Republicans and Unionists experienced shared negative experiences was associated with levels of identity fusion, and that this relationship was mediated by their reflection on these experiences. In Study 2, we replicated this finding among Bostonians, looking at their experiences of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings. These correlational studies provide initial evidence for the plausibility of our causal model; however, an experiment was required for a more direct test. Thus, in Study 3, we experimentally manipulated the salience of the Boston Marathon Bombings, and found that this increased state levels of identity fusion among those who experienced it negatively. Taken together, these three studies provide evidence that shared negative experience leads to identity fusion, and that this process involves personal reflection.
Highlights
Social psychologists have long been puzzled and intrigued by extreme behaviours on behalf of ingroups, from the moral compromise of Nazi Schutzstaffel soldiers to the literal self-sacrifice of Japanese kamikaze warriors and, more recently, suicide bombers from fundamentalist Islamist groups
Rather than a prolonged conflict like the Northern Irish Troubles, where it was likely that highly fused people might deliberately put themselves in danger, thereby increasing their likelihood of suffering shared negative experience, we looked at a one-off negative event: the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing
To bolster the claim that shared negative experience leads to identity fusion, we ran an experiment in the context of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing
Summary
Social psychologists have long been puzzled and intrigued by extreme behaviours on behalf of ingroups, from the moral compromise of Nazi Schutzstaffel soldiers to the literal self-sacrifice of Japanese kamikaze warriors and, more recently, suicide bombers from fundamentalist Islamist groups. Previous research on intergroup conflict have emphasised the role of social identification and deindividuation, positing that under certain circumstances, the activation of an individual’s social identity leads to the deactivation of her personal identity: this enables the individual to prioritise the group’s values and interests over her own [1,2]. Identity fusion is characterised by a visceral feeling of oneness with the group, such that the borders between one’s personal and social selves are porous [3,4], and the individual’s selfconcept and group concept overlap [5]. Identity fusion drives costly pro-group behaviour precisely because it blurs the distinction between the self and the group, and the PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0145611 December 23, 2015
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