Social Identity Research Articles

Linguistic Accommodation and Identity in The Context of Social Media Discourse

Peaceful coexistence among members of the society is paramount. However, conflicts among the people living together are inevitable and therefore conflict resolution mechanisms must always be put in place. This paper focuses on how language can be used as a tool for resolving and maintaining peace among the individuals in the context of social media. Our society is organised in such a manner that people interact at various levels in the community and there are different forums and platforms that individuals use in the interaction process. During their interactions, language plays a very important role in ensuring that people live in harmony. Living harmoniously may be a concern for people that work together, live in the same neighbourhood, go to church together or live together. These people may interact on face-to-face basis and or use other media such as social media to reach out to one another. This paper narrows down to the kind of interactions that take place in the social media and how the interactants accommodate or cope with each other. The paper analyses texts extracted from Chuka University Students’ social media discourse (from the author’s PhD thesis) to reveal how students accommodate one another. This is an important aspect particularly nowadays when people have made social media an integral tool of communication and interaction. There are different platforms and genres of social media interaction platforms such as Facebook, twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp just to mention a few but this paper focuses on WhatsApp. The WhatsApp groups from which data for analysis were extracted, were those formed by Chuka University students in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. This paper is informed by Communication Accommodation Theory and Social Identity Theory. Since it was a qualitative investigation, a descriptive research design was used. Snowballing was used in the identification of the WhatsApp groups from which the texts were extracted purposively. The texts used in this paper were purposively collected on the basis of their content to show accommodation and identity among the social media users. The content analysis of the texts was done and results discussed. The findings revealed that students accommodate one another in their interactions and that they use language to mark their identity. The accommodation is achieved by using language in a manner that is peculiar to them. They for instance come up with their own jargons, phrases and forms of words that they use in their communication

Older and younger job seekers' attention towards metastereotypes in job ads.

Building on social identity theory and cognitive models on information processing, the present paper considered whether and how stereotyped information in job ads impairs older/younger job seekers' job attraction. Two eye-tracking experiments with older (Study 1) and younger job seekers (Study 2) investigated effects of negatively metastereotyped personality requirements (i.e., traits) on job attraction and whether attention to and memory for negative information mediated these effects. Within-participants analyses showed for both older and younger job seekers that job attraction was lower when ads included negative metastereotypes and that more attention was allocated towards these negative metastereotypes. Older, but not younger job seekers, also better recalled these negative metastereotypes compared to not negative metastereotypes. The effect of metastereotypes on job attraction was not mediated by attention or recall of information. Organizations should therefore avoid negative metastereotypes in job ads that may capture older/younger job seekers' attention and lower job attraction.

Beyond Backlash: Advancing Dominant-Group Employees’ Learning, Allyship, and Growth Through Social Identity Threat

Beyond Backlash: Advancing Dominant-Group Employees’ Learning, Allyship, and Growth Through Social Identity Threat

Cultivating inclusive leadership: a catalyst for enhanced organizational citizenship

Purpose The present manuscript aims to develop and validate a theoretical model capable of explaining that organizational citizenship behavior is influenced by the extent to which employees feel valued, accepted and considered integral to the organizational fabric. To do this, the authors draw on social identity theory, according to which the level of identification of a person with a group or organization is not fixed but situational and context-dependent. Design/methodology/approach To validate the theoretical model, the authors surveyed the employees of eight large-scale distribution companies operating in Italy. Overall, the authors received completed data from 2,010 employees. Findings The authors theorize and demonstrate that the presence of an inclusive corporate climate positively influences employees’ perceptions of work inclusion and that this latter, in turn, positively affects organizational citizenship behavior. Furthermore, they show that the indirect effect of an inclusive corporate climate on organizational citizenship behavior becomes stronger when inclusive leadership is promoted within an organization. Originality/value Overall, this paper confirms social identity theory in a novel way. Social identity theory suggests that the context can impact an employee’s identification with the organization they work for, without specifying the characteristics that the context must possess. The authors’ contribution reaffirms this theory by proposing that it is specifically the inclusiveness of the context that positively influences the employee’s identification within the organization. By focusing on this aspect of inclusion, this research introduces a novel perspective that enriches the current discourse on OCB and underscores the importance of cultivating inclusive workplace environments. Also, the authors add theoretical nuance to previous literature by suggesting that the way top management exercises leadership over employees can amplify the strength of corporate climate influence on worker inclusion perception.

Social identity in environmental protection engagement: How are different kinds of identity related to different types of engagement?

AbstractSocial approaches can contribute to clarifying environmental issues. For instance, social identity theory can help to comprehend people's motivations for getting involved in environmental protection. However, the kind of social identity best suited for predicting environmental protection engagement remains unclear. This study examines different categories of social identity in relation to different types of environmental protection engagement. The predictive power of identification with environmentalists, as well as with politicized and non‐politicized environmental groups, are considered separately. Furthermore, environmental protection engagement is divided into pro‐environmental behavior and two different demanding forms of pro‐environmental collective action—participatory environmental action and leadership environmental action. Data collected online from 985 respondents involved in environmental protection were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that while environmental group identification was not significantly related to any kind of environmental protection engagement, environmentalist identification emerged as a predictor of participatory environmental action, leadership environmental action and pro‐environmental behavior. Moreover, these connections were stronger for participants belonging to a politicized environmental group than for those belonging to a non‐politicized environmental group and those not belonging to any environmental group. These results support and extend previous findings on the role of social identity in pro‐environmental collective action and pro‐environmental behavior.

The Social Identity of the Robot Pet: A multi-dimensional perspective

With the invention and application of artificial intelligence products into modern society, robot pets have become one of the important products. At present, along with the gradual integration of robot pets into human life and becoming people’s intimate companions, more and more people begin to pay attention to the social identity of robot pets. In order to clarify the social identity of robotic pets in modern society, this study used questionnaires and interviews to collect the acceptance attitudes and perspectives of residents from the Yangtze River Delta region toward robotic pets as companions. It is found that there is diversity in public acceptance of robotic pets, and that health, emotional needs, and the function of the robots are important factors influencing people’s choice of robotic pets. Regarding the social status of robotic pets, some people believe that robotic pets should be regarded as an integral part of society. While others believe they lack socio-emotional attributes and should not have a social identity. In the future, pet robots will move toward personalization, multifunctionality, or cross-industry cooperation, where their social identity is expected to be strengthened. In conclusion, this study organizes the social cognition of robotic pets, gives an empirical basis for the study of the social identity of robotic pets, and provides guidance for the future direction of AI products.

A UK national cross-sectional survey of stroke support groups: exploring the role of social identification and group processes in reducing loneliness

BackgroundLoneliness is a common experience following stroke. Stroke support groups may protect against loneliness, but little is known about how these groups exert their influence. This research drew upon current theorising on the role of groups for health and explored i) social identification as a potential mechanism for overcoming loneliness, and ii) psychological group resources (support, control, self-esteem), and functional group processes (clear goals, group autonomy, member continuity) which might structure social identification.MethodsFive hundred seventy-nine stroke survivors from 84 Stroke Association support groups across the UK completed a cross-sectional survey measuring: support group identification; psychological resources (given and received social support, control, self-esteem, identity centrality); functional processes (goal clarity, group autonomy, member continuity); and loneliness (3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale).ResultsGreater support group identification was associated with reduced loneliness (β = -0.45, p < 0.001). Given (β = 0.17, p = 0.001) and received (β = 0.10, p < 0.001) social support, goal clarity (β = 0.17, p = 0.002), and group member continuity (β = 0.19, p < 0.001) were all associated with greater support group identification.ConclusionsSocial identification with the group may be a mechanism by which stroke support groups alleviate loneliness, potentially through facilitating attendance, mutual social support and the development of collective goals. Further research should explore how these processes influence social identification in newly formed groups, where social identity has not yet been established.

A Systematic Literature Review of Intersectional Leadership in the Workplace: The Landscape and Framework for Future Leadership Research and Practice to Challenge Interlocking Systems of Oppression

Normalized, dominant leadership styles favoring masculinity and aggressiveness disregard the impact of intersectional social identities and inequities on leadership practices and perpetuate leadership gaps and inequities in organizations, for example, preventing women and people of color from advancing into leadership roles. This study aims to explore how intersectionality plays a role in workplace leadership and propose a framework for future leadership research and practice that foregrounds intersectionality. To achieve this aim, this study systematically classified and reviewed 160 empirical studies on intersectionality in leadership in work and organization contexts. Most studies described the leadership experiences and strategies of individuals from multiple marginalized, historically excluded (MMHE) groups and the factors that influence their leadership. Some studies presented the intersectional effects of leadership and illuminated relational and contextual aspects of the leadership process. We discussed tensions within the findings and proposed a framework for intersectional leadership based on the results of the literature review. We conclude with a call for illuminating intersectional leadership as a promising process to achieve organizational social justice.

Intrinsic Motivations and Religiosity of Christian Conference Attendees

Through the lens of social identity theory, this study aims to identify which motivations are pertinent for Christian conference attendance. It also aims to determine what constitutes religiosity for attendees and if Christian conference attendance is dependent on attendees’ religiosity, demographics, and/or ministry role. Based on survey responses (N = 209) collected at four Australian Christian conferences that were analyzed using correlation analysis, it was concluded that although motivations are largely correlated, spiritual encouragement and congregating with like-minded people are the dominant motivations for attendance. Religiosity comprised beliefs, emotions, and behavior. Chisquare analysis determined that attendees are of different ages, education, and ministry roles, and analysis‐of‐variance identified respondents that exhibited high religiosity are differentiated on their demographics. Binary regression identified that Christian conference motivation was largely dependent on attendees??? religious behavior. To further satisfy attendees, it is recommended that Christian conference organizers promote the need for togetherness and spiritual encouragement.

Getting by with a little help from my antiracist White friends: Can White antiracism counteract the demobilizing effect of positive contact?

Recent research indicates that positive intergroup contact with advantaged groups (e.g., White Americans) may decrease ingroup collective action amongst marginalized groups (e.g., Black, Hispanic/Latinx Americans). However, we hypothesized that seeing White Americans—and specifically one’s friends—as antiracists who actively oppose racial inequality could boost collective action in marginalized groups, counteracting this effect. Four studies and an internal meta-analysis revealed that positive contact was associated with less collective action, but perceiving one’s White friends as antiracist was associated with greater engagement. This effect was specific to White friends; perceiving White people as antiracist was not mobilizing. Further, anger about inequality and movement identification (social identity model of collective action [SIMCA]) mediated these associations. This research reveals that although positive contact can be demobilizing for marginalized racial groups, Whites’ vocal allyship within intergroup friendships can enhance social change behaviors.

High-performance human resource practices, organizational identification and employee commitment: the moderating role of organizational culture.

Drawing on social exchange and social identity theories, this study examines the mediating role of organizational identification on the relationship between high-performance human resource practices (HPHRPs) and employee commitment. The study further examines the moderating role of organizational culture in this mediated relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 340 employees from state-owned enterprises in China, and SPSS was used to test the hypothesized relationships. The results indicate that organizational identification acts as a mediator of the relationship between HPHRPs and employee commitment. Additionally, organizational culture moderates the strength of this mediated relationship, affecting the degree to which HPHRPs foster commitment. This study contributes to the literature by integrating social exchange and social identity theories to explain the psychological mechanisms underlying the employee-organization relationship. It also extends the understanding of how organizational identification mediates the link between HPHRPs and commitment, and how organizational culture moderates these effects, providing a more comprehensive understanding of these interrelated dynamics in organizational settings.

African American Men and Mental Health

African American men face challenges that include internalized negative social identities, marginalization, oppression, systemic racism, invisibility syndrome, targets of violence, murder, and erasure. Social workers may place the population at further risk of harm by using methods influenced solely by Eurocentric values. There is a paucity of peer-reviewed journal articles in the social work literature regarding the mental health of African American men. The literature fails to support social workers in acquiring the clinical skills required to provide services to African American men. This article will provide guidance to improve assessment, diagnosis, and clinician engagement with adult African American male clients. Barriers to the care of this population include the stigma of receiving mental health services, avoidance of vulnerability, medical distrust, clinician bias, no knowledge culturally expressed symptomology of mental illness, and an absence of culturally responsive care. Theories that inform the work with African American men in this article are the social determinants of health theory, intersectional theory, and narrative theory.

The Research Advance in Ethical Issues of AI Application

The topic of AI has become more and more discussed ever since the release of ChatGPT, as its astonishing intelligence has made humans to challenge the boundary. This vagueness then contributes to the emergence of discussions on the ethics of AI. Aiming to clarify the many current academic discussions on the ethics of artificial intelligence and to recognize different ethical perspectives, this study conducts a literature review of the research and discussions among different scholars on ethical issues in the application of artificial intelligence technologies. It is found that the current relevant discussion extends from a micro perspective emphasizing the individual to a macro perspective emphasizing the human race. Research advances on ethical issues in AI applications can be categorized into three levels: personal, social, and global. Among which, the individual level focuses on the ethical issues in algorithmic logic and user data management. The social level focuses on the social employment and public accountability systems. While the global level discusses intellectual property disputes and the social identity of AI robots. Finally, the author gave an evaluation of the gaps and challenges of studying AI ethics and emphasize the importance of addressing ethical issues in AI development and deployment. The paper aims to serve as information for scholars and policymakers, fostering ethical awareness in the AI research community and helping AI technologies to be developed and used responsibly.

Deciphering consumer behaviours in the innovative hospitality settings

Purpose This study aims to analyse the antecedents and consequences of consumer participation behaviour in the hotel industry. It investigates how citizenship behaviour influences the link between participation and switching intention. It also investigates hotel innovativeness, brand identification and consumer value co-creation using the frameworks of innovation diffusion theory, social identity theory and social exchange theory. By combining different academic perspectives, the study provides a thorough grasp of the elements that influence consumer behaviour and loyalty to hospitality brands. Design/methodology/approach This study used a descriptive-analytical approach to survey 526 guests who stayed at five-star hotels affiliated with chains in Egypt. The hotels were chosen using stratified random sampling, which ensured representation across multiple segments. For practical reasons, convenience sampling techniques were used to pick research participants. To test the study hypotheses, structural equation modelling was used, which provided a strong statistical analysis to assess the correlations between variables and validate the suggested theoretical framework. Findings The research indicates that hotel innovativeness has a substantial impact on consumers’ brand identification and involvement behaviour, but not their propensity to move brands. The relationship between participation behaviours and intention to switch is mediated by consumer citizenship behaviour. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional study methodology may not address causal linkages or developmental difficulties because it only collected data at one point in time. A longer study period is required, and the sample group’s breadth is restricted to five-star hotel guests from Egypt’s chain-affiliated hotels. Originality/value This study offers a thorough methodology for assessing how hotel innovation influences consumer brand identification. It also looks at how consumer brand identification affects involvement and switching intentions. The study also investigates the moderating influence of consumer citizenship behaviour in the link between involvement and switching intentions.

Concept Analysis of Psychosocial Distress Among African American and Latine Men Who Have Sex With Men: Implications for HIV Care.

The aim of this study is to provide conceptual clarity on psychosocial distress among African American and Latine men who have sex with men living with human immunodeficiency virus. Concept analysis. The 8-step Walker and Avant framework guided the concept analysis of psychosocial distress tailored to this patient population. A literature review was conducted using the research databases PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, the Cumulated Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Scopus with the selected search terms. A total of 7 articles were retrieved and analysed to explicate the antecedents, attributes, and consequences of psychosocial distress in this population. Four cases were developed to further clarify the concept of psychosocial distress; a model case, borderline case, related case and contrary case. As experienced by African American and Latine men who have sex with men living with human immunodeficiency virus, psychosocial distress is defined as a state of suffering due to uncontrollable structural and/or social factors that threaten the individual's existence and/or livelihood based on their social identity as a racial/ethnic, sexual minority. The concept analysis of psychosocial distress can be useful to guide future theory and measurement development to enhance disease-specific and general health outcomes for sexual and racial/ethnic minoritised men who have sex with men. Not applicable. No patient or public contribution.

How to establish customers’ green brand relationships and behaviors: from green consumption consciousness perspectives

PurposeThis study aimed to understand how the consumer–green brand relationship affects the behavior of consumers of e-commerce platforms for smallholder farmers; it did so by formulating and testing a framework based on social identity perspective.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling was applied to data from 532 questionnaire responses.FindingsAll hypotheses were supported. Customers’ environmental consciousness, green brand consciousness and green brand self-expression strongly affect green consumption consciousness. The effect of environmental consciousness on green brand identification is stronger than that of environmental consciousness on green brand consciousness and that of green brand self-expression on green brand identification.Practical implicationsSuggestions for managing green brands on e-commerce platforms for smallholder farmers and references for strategizing are also provided.Originality/valueThis study accounts for a wide range of antecedents of green consumption consciousness based on a social identity perspective. This study is the first to elucidate how green consumption affects the e-commerce branding of green smallholder farmers.

GLOBAL IDENTITY AS A TYPE OF SOCIAL IDENTITY

Globalization has affected, perhaps more than any other force, the way people live, configure their physical environment, create the institutions that govern their activities, and build the markets in which they exchange resources, goods, and services. Economic and cultural exchanges brought about by waves of globalization have led to changes in consumer demographics and psychographics, i.e. changes in consumer aspirations, motivations, and behaviour. Advances in technology, transportation, global exports, and media innovation have made global flows of information, products, and services more widespread and rapid. Cultural exchanges not only contribute to the formation of an expansive culture but also affect the psychological and social identity of people. Globalization promotes the free exchange of ideas and communication throughout the world, which leads to an increase in people’s awareness of the world around them as a whole. Globalization leads to the formation of the general consciousness of people about humanity. In its purest form, this common consciousness of people about humanity is called «global identity». The article aims to consider global identity as a type of social identity. Research methods applied: analysis and generalization of scientific literature to clarify approaches to defining the essence of global and local identity; theoretical generalization for formulating conclusions about global identity as a type of social identity. The psychological effects of local culture on identity are just as effective as the effects of global culture on identity. Local identity can take many forms, from ethnicity to nationality to even smaller local identifications such as neighborhood.

Construction Of Sexuality And Sexual Violence Among Alumni Of Islamic State University Of Banjarmasin, Indonesia

In acts of sexual violence, the wearing of the headscarf is often exploited, so it is important to do research. This study uses qualitative which is a library research. Primary data is obtained from interviews, while secondary data is obtained from journals, books, articles, and online sites. The results of the study show that the forms of construction of jilbab sexuality and sexual violence involve several aspects, such as the jilbab which is interpreted as a symbol of submission, social identity, and expression space that is often exploited. This dynamic then triggers the occurrence of sexual violence, which is influenced by patriarchal culture, the authority of the female body, and power inequality. The results of the study also show the implications of this construction of sexuality on the repression of women's bodies, the occurrence of discrimination, and the normalization of violent behavior.

Beyond party and the pocketbook: racial resentment, hostile sexism, and perceptions of corporate political activity

Abstract Recent controversies over “woke” businesses have challenged traditional partisan political alignments, leading to increased criticism on the right of corporate political activity. This paper explores how the public evaluates corporate political activity, focusing specifically on whether individuals believe corporations are doing too much (or too little) to advance social and political goals. We are especially interested in how social identities and pocketbook considerations shape perceptions of corporate political activities not explicitly tied to social issues. Does racial resentment, for example, influence perceptions of corporate political activity designed to increase worker wages or improve health care? Or are the effects limited to efforts to achieve racial equality? We find that racial resentment and hostile sexism have spillover effects, affecting perceptions of corporate political activity across issue areas. Partisan affiliation, political ideology, and personal pocketbook considerations, in contrast, play a more limited role. Previous research has demonstrated the effect of racial resentment and sexism on support for welfare policies. We add to this literature by showing that racist and sexist opposition extends to corporate political activities that might not be explicitly identified as socially progressive.

From Social Media to Public Health: The Role of Identity Recognition in Post-Pandemic Information Dissemination

With social media becoming an essential platform for public health information communication, the impact of identity on the effectiveness of information dissemination in social media has received increasing attention. This study aimed to explore the relationship between identity factors in social media and the effectiveness of public health news dissemination. Different social media user identities have different effects and concerns on public information communication, and the identity backgrounds of bloggers have different perspectives on public health information communication. The findings help to identify the effects of different identities in public health communication and provide possible research ideas and perspectives for future researchers.