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Social Identity Pathways Associated with Divergent Traumatic Responses European Review of Social Psychology ISSN: 1046-3283 (Print) 1479-277X (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/pers20 The social psychology of responses to trauma: social identity pathways associated with divergent traumatic responses Orla T. Muldoon, S. Alexander Haslam, Catherine Haslam, Tegan Cruwys, Michelle Kearns & Jolanda Jetten To cite this article: Orla T. Muldoon, S. Alexander Haslam, Catherine Haslam, Tegan Cruwys, Michelle Kearns & Jolanda Jetten (2019) The social psychology of responses to trauma: social identity pathways associated with divergent traumatic responses, European Review of Social Psychology, 30:1, 311-348 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2020.1711628 © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Published online: 10 Jan 2020. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 395 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=pers20 EUROPEAN REVIEW OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020, VOL. 30, NO. 1, 311–348 https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2020.1711628 ARTICLE The social psychology of responses to trauma: social identity pathways associated with divergent traumatic responses Orla T. Muldoon a, S. Alexander Haslam b, Catherine Haslam b, Tegan Cruwys c, Michelle Kearns a,d and Jolanda Jetten b aCentre for Social Issues Research, Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick V94 T9PX, Ireland; bSchool of Psychology, McElwain Building University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; cResearch School of Psychology, The Australian National University, 39 Science Road, ACT 0200, Australia; dInternational Rescue Committee, Freetown, Sierra Leone ABSTRACT Research in clinical psychology and social psychiatry has highlighted the impor- tance of social factors for outcomes following trauma. In this review, we speak to this issue in two ways. First, we highlight the value of a social identity framework for understanding the experience and impact of psychological trauma. Second, we draw on the Social Identity Model of Identity Change (SIMIC) to understand reactions to trauma. Specifically, we show (a) that nega- tive responses to trauma are more apparent where trauma serves to undermine valued social identities; (b) that people prove more resilient in the face of trauma when valued social identities can be maintained or new social identities developed; and (c) that where old or new positive identities are reinvigorated or extend the self, this can be a basis for post-traumatic growth. We conclude by discussing the implications of this model for practice, and emphasise the importance of social identity management in the aftermath of trauma. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 4 October 2018; Accepted 3 December 2019 KEYWORDS Social identity; social identity change; trauma; post traumatic stress disorder; post trau- matic growth Although symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS) can differ across cultures, there is robust cross-cultural and historical evidence that exposure to extreme traumatic experiences can trigger extreme psychological distress (e.g., Brewin, Dalgleish, & Joseph, 1996). However, such responses are not inevitable, and there is a growing awareness that traumatic events do not always have adverse psychological sequelae (Halligan & Yehuda, 2000). In particular, some traumatised populations not only demonstrate resilience, CONTACT Orla T. Muldoon [email protected] Centre for Social Issues Research, Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick V94 T9PX, Ireland © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. 312 O. T. MULDOON ET AL. but also report post-traumatic growth (PTG) in response to the experience of extreme events (Joseph & Linley, 2006). Indeed, the vast majority of indivi- duals exposed to violent or life-threatening events do not go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many experience short-lived or sub- clinical stress reactions, but these symptoms often abate spontaneously (Bonanno, 2004). The analysis we present in this review uses the social identity approach to understand how features of social categories and group life may determine individual responses to trauma. This approach is consistent with the broad tenets of the social identity approach to health (Haslam, Jetten, Cruwys, Dingle, & Haslam, 2018). Different aspects of this approach lead us to conclude that internalised group memberships (i.e., social identities) can be antecedents, mediators, and outcomes of trauma experiences. And whilst we argue that group membership and social identities are at the heart of responses to extreme stress, in the analysis presented here we orient to the role of social identities and related resources derived from group member- ships as mediators of the relationships between traumatic experience and post traumatic outcomes. We use the term social identity resources to describe the social psychological capacities that flow from internalised group memberships such as support, solidarity and belonging. This allows us to integrate findings that speak to the importance of group-based resources – such as social capital, social bonds, and community spirit – for post-traumatic responses. Importantly, we do not seek to discount alterna- tive analyses that also point to the value of these same resources, but instead argue that the social identity framework provides a useful and distinctive perspective for understanding divergent response to traumatic experience. We begin by reviewing key concepts in the trauma literature (namely, PTS, PTSD and PTG), and locating our contribution in the wider literature on trauma. Then, in the first substantive review section, we argue that group memberships and social identities are important for understanding the risk of, and responses to, traumatic experiences. Drawing on our own research, we illustrate the centrality of groups and social identities to experiences and perceptions of traumatic events (see Table 1). Taking this further, we go on to review evidence that identification with a group can mediate the impact of traumatic experiences on relevant sequelae. We conclude this section by reviewing work that points to the importance of social identity as a basis for accessing resources such as solidarity and social support. We argue that whilst group memberships can place people at risk of trauma, they also provide a platform for the development of social identities and access to associated resources, which mediate the link between traumatic experience and well-being. Our second substantive section systematically integrates this work to develop a social identity model of traumatic identity change (SIMTIC) see Table 1. The relevance of groups and social identities to trauma. Group/identity Methodological Paper Type of trauma variables Approach Measures Sample Findings Muldoon & Political Membership of Cross sectional Reported Experience 689 Children aged 7-11 Variation in reported experience of conflict Trew, 2000 violence gender, religious survey of political violence related experiences was linked to group and socioeconomic and self-perception membership. And exposure to political groups profile for children violence was linked to behavioural adjustment. Muldoon Political Membership of Comparative Perceived 10 year old children in Group level differences in ratings of the et al., 1998 violence gender, religious analysis of two stressfulness of 1983 (n = 456) & perceived stressfulness of events. and socioeconomic cross sectional conflict related 1994 (n = 182) Perceptions were linked to religious group groups data sets from events and changing perceptions of parties to the EUROPEAN REVIEW OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 1983 and 1984 conflict. Muldoon, Political Membership of Longitudinal survey Perceived Children at two time Developmental trajectory in perceived 2003 violence gender, religious stressfulness of points age 8 and 11 stressfulness of conflict events linked to and socioeconomic conflict related (N = 113) religious group affiliation. groups events Muldoon & Political Membership of Cross sectional Reported experience Adolescents aged 16 Young people with a lot of exposure to Wilson, violence religious and survey of political violence, (N = 96) political violence ideologically committed 2001 gender groups, self-esteem, to the conflict, had comparatively good ideological psychological well well-being. commitment to being conflict Schmid & Political National Cross sectional Experience of Representative sample Perceived intergroup threats have the most Muldoon, violence identification survey violence, identity of adults (N = 1515) profound effects on social identification and 2015 threat, social well-being for those subsets of the identification & well population with the most exposure to being conflict (Continued) 313 314 Table 1. (Continued). O. T. MULDOON ET AL. Group/identity Methodological Paper Type of trauma variables Approach Measures Sample Findings Muldoon Political National group Cross sectional Experience of Representative sample National
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