DOCSLIB.ORG

Leaving Ideological Social Groups Behind: a Grounded Theory of Psychological Disengagement

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Leaving Ideological Social Groups Behind: a Grounded Theory of Psychological Disengagement Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2015 Leaving ideological social groups behind: A Grounded theory of psychological disengagement Kira Jade Harris Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the Social Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Harris, K. J. (2015). Leaving ideological social groups behind: A Grounded theory of psychological disengagement. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1587 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1587 Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2015 Leaving ideological social groups behind: A Grounded theory of psychological disengagement Kira Jade Harris Edith Cowan University Recommended Citation Harris, K. J. (2015). Leaving ideological social groups behind: A Grounded theory of psychological disengagement. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1587 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1587 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. Where the reproduction of such material is done without attribution of authorship, with false attribution of authorship or the authorship is treated in a derogatory manner, this may be a breach of the author’s moral rights contained in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Courts have the power to impose a wide range of civil and criminal sanctions for infringement of copyright, infringement of moral rights and other offences under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. i i Running head: PSYCHOLOGICAL DISENGAGEMENT Leaving Ideological Social Groups Behind: A Grounded Theory of Psychological Disengagement Kira Jade Harris BA(Psych/Crimnlgy), GradDipCrmnlgy&Just, MCrimJus Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science Edith Cowan University Western Australia A Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology) Date Submitted: 12th of February 2015 USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISENGAGEMENT iii ABSTRACT Much of the current disengagement literature focuses on the causes of an individual leaving a radical social group with the intention of countering fundamentalism and violent extremism. However, the link between the cause and the decision to disengage is unclear as one cause may facilitate disengagement for one member and not another. Minimal empirical research exists on the individual’s psychological experience of disengagement and the studies that have been done tend to focus on sole ideologies or group types. What is lacking in the field of disengagement is a broader understanding of the core psychological experience across a broad range of ideological social group types. The current research addressed this gap by including participants from a diverse range of ideological social groups, where the criterion that defined these social groups was the member’s identification. The strength of identification to the group was to be sufficiently strong so that members were willing to jeopardise their wellbeing, or that of others, for the benefit of the group’s objectives. The current research sought to further the understanding of psychological disengagement and to construct a theory drawn from the experiences of those who have left ideological social groups. In-depth interviews were conducted with 27 former members of social groups with high levels of entitativity, such as one percent motorcycle clubs, military special operations forces, cults, white supremacy, and fundamental religious or political groups. Utilising a grounded theory methodology and analysis, the discrepancy between group membership and the self-concept was identified as the core theme in the disengagement experience. The grounded theory of psychological disengagement details the process of experiencing a threat relating to the self, identifying a self-concept discrepancy and subsequent methods to reduce this discrepancy, achieving physical disengagement and developing a post-exit identity. The findings demonstrate that participants followed a consistent pattern of moving towards membership reappraisal and disengagement. This process began with a personal threat that was related to, or derived from, the social group, and ended with the reformation of the self as a former member. The group was perceived as inconsistent with the self-concept held by the PSYCHOLOGICAL DISENGAGEMENT iv participant in four domains; (1) competence, (2) virtue, (3) power and (4) significance. The inconsistency and the psychological identification with such a group conflicted with personally held goals and values, and threatened the participants’ psychological integrity. For the participants in the current study, this self-discrepancy was resolved by employing four self-concept management strategies to restore psychological integrity; (1) the forming of an atypical identity, (2) utilising adaptive preferences (3) using justifications and rationalisations, and (4) the making of amends. These self-concept strategies, applied in isolation or in combination, contributed to participants psychologically, as well as physically, disengaging from the group as a means of restoring consistency between their self-concept and social identity. The physical disengagement led to initial feelings of relief over the decision-making process and freedom over the removal of lifestyle restrictions. These positive emotions gave way to feelings of grief over the loss of positive in-group aspects and concerns for the future. A post exit identity was adopted when the group experience was embraced and personal reflections followed a more positive approach. Implications for policy and specific areas where members may benefit from additional support are identified. This research contributes to the current understanding of disengagement, as well as group dependency and ideological attachment from a unique perspective. Directions for future research and implementations of the findings of the current research are discussed. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISENGAGEMENT v DECLARATION I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: (i) incorporated without acknowledgement any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education; (ii) contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in text; or (iii) contain any defamatory material. I also grant permission for the Library at Edith Cowan University to make duplicate copies of my thesis as required. Name : Kira Jade Harris Date : 12th of February 2015 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISENGAGEMENT vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people I need to thank for their assistance and support throughout this study. Firstly, I would like to thank the participants who shared their experiences with me and assisted in this study. Without you this would never have happened and your time and support is appreciated. Eyal Gringart and Deirdre Drake - Thank you both so much for taking this project on part way through and guiding me the through the process. I could not have asked for better supervisors. Anne Aly - Thank you for starting this with me. Your passion in this field is inspiring. My friends – For all those times I said I could not because I need to work on my thesis, I owe you. My parents – Words cannot express how much your support means to me. Thank you for being a supportive ear and a rational voice. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISENGAGEMENT vii CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Chapter Overview……………………………………………………..................1 Deradicalisation, Disengagement and Physical Disengagement..………2 The Current Study………………………………………………………..……….3 Significance………………………………………………………………...............5 Thesis Outline (Chapters 2 - 12)………………………………………………..6 Chapter Summary………………………………………………………............11 CHAPTER 2: THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL GROUPS TO MEMBERS 12 Chapter Overview……………………………………………….……………... 12 Social Group Identification………………………………….….……………. 12 Social Identity Theory and the Identification with Social Groups………….. 14 Entitativity…………………………………………………………………………. 20 Ideology…………………………………………………………………………... 26 Security………………………………………………………………………..….. 28 Chapter Summary…………………………………………………..………….. 29 CHAPTER 3: DISENGAGEMENT LITERATURE REVIEW Chapter Overview……………………………………………………..……….. 31 Disengagement as a Process of Group Exit………………………...……. 31 The Crisis Triggering Membership Doubts……………………………..... 33 Categorising the Causes of Disengagement…………………………………. 36 Disillusionment…………………………………………………………………… 40 Crisis Response………………………………………………………………... 55 The Exit……………………………………………………………………........... 58 The Exit: Covert, Overt or Declarative…………………..…………………….. 59 Post-Exit………………………………………………………….……………… 60 Barriers to Disengagement…………………………………………….…….. 63 Loss of Friendships…………………………………….……………………….
Load more

Recommended publications
  • When Do People Trust Their Social Groups?
    When Do People Trust Their Social Groups? Xiao Ma1y, Justin Cheng2, Shankar Iyer2, Mor Naaman1 {xiao,mor}@jacobs.cornell.edu,{jcheng,shankar94}@fb.com 1Jacobs Institute, Cornell Tech, 2Facebook y Work done while at Facebook. ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION Trust facilitates cooperation and supports positive outcomes Trust contributes to the success of social groups by encour- in social groups, including member satisfaction, information aging people to interpret others’ actions and intentions fa- sharing, and task performance. Extensive prior research has vorably, thereby facilitating cooperation and a sense of com- examined individuals’ general propensity to trust, as well as munity [5, 22, 32, 54, 60, 76]. In groups, trust increases mem- the factors that contribute to their trust in specific groups. ber satisfaction and task performance [79], reduces con- Here, we build on past work to present a comprehensive flict [32, 79], and promotes effective response to crisis [52]. framework for predicting trust in groups. By surveying 6,383 Previous research has examined how different factors such Facebook Groups users about their trust attitudes and ex- as size [13, 21, 85], group cohesiveness [37], and activity [79] amining aggregated behavioral and demographic data for may impact people’s trust in their social groups, both on- these individuals, we show that (1) an individual’s propensity line [38] and offline [67]. However, previous studies tend to trust is associated with how they trust their groups, (2) to be small in scale, limited to specific contexts (e.g., online smaller, closed, older, more exclusive, or more homogeneous marketplaces), or only consider a specific type of group (e.g., groups are trusted more, and (3) a group’s overall friendship- organizations [18, 49]).
    [Show full text]
  • SOCIAL GROUP What Is a Social Group? Types of Social Group?
    SOCIAL GROUP What is a Social Group? A social group is two or more humans who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. A social group exhibits some degree of social cohesion and is more than a simple collection or aggregate of individuals, such as people waiting at a bus stop or people waiting in a line. Characteristics shared by members of a group may include interests, values, representations, ethnic or social background, and kinship ties. One way of determining if a collection of people can be considered a group is if individuals who belong to that collection use the self-referent pronoun “we;” using “we” to refer to a collection of people often implies that the collection thinks of itself as a group. Examples of groups include: families, companies, circles of friends, clubs, local chapters of fraternities and sororities, and local religious congregations. Types of Social Group? Sociologists have classified groups into numerous categories according to their own ways of looking at them. Some of the important classifications have been discussed below: 1. Primary Group and Secondary Group (Concepts introduced by C.H Cooley in his book Social Organization) 2. In-group and Out-group (Introduced by W.G Sumner in his book Folkways) 3. Reference Group (Introduced by Muzafer Sherif but used extensively by Sociologist Merton) Primary Group: A primary group is typically a small social group whose members share close, personal, enduring relationships. These groups are marked by concern for one another, shared activities and culture, and long periods of time spent together.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Sociology – SOC101 VU Introduction to Sociology SOC101 Table of Contents Page No
    Introduction to Sociology – SOC101 VU Introduction to Sociology SOC101 Table of Contents Page no. Lesson 1 The Origins of Sociology………………………………………. 1 Lesson 2 Sociological Perspective……………………………. 4 Lesson 3 Theoretical Paradigms………………………………………….. 7 Lesson 4 Sociology as Science……………………………………………. 10 Lesson 5 Steps in Sociological Investigation……………………………… 12 Lesson 6 Social Interaction………………………………………………. 14 Lesson 7 Social Groups………………………………………………….. 17 Lesson 8 Formal Organizations……………………………………… 20 Lesson 9 Culture………………………………………………………….. 23 Lesson 10 Culture (continued)…………………………………………….. 25 Lesson 11 Culture (continued)………………………………........................ 27 Lesson 12 Socialization: Human Development……………………………. 30 Lesson 13 Understanding the Socialization Process……………………… 33 Lesson 14 Agents of Socialization…………………………………............ 36 Lesson 15 Socialization and the Life Course …………………………….. 38 Lesson 16 Social Control and Deviance ………………………………… 41 Lesson 17 The Social Foundations of Deviance…………………………. 43 Lesson 18 Explanations of Crime………………………………………… 45 Lesson 19 Explanations of Crime (continued)…………………………….. 47 Lesson 20 Social Distribution of Crime: Explanations…………………….. 51 Lesson 21 Social Stratification: Introduction and Significance……………... 55 Lesson 22 Theories of Class and Stratification-I…………………………… 57 Lesson 23 Theories of Class and Stratification-II…………………………. 59 Lesson 24 Theories of Class and Stratification-III…………………….. 61 Lesson 25 Social Class As Subculture……………………………………… 62 Lesson 26 Social Mobility…………………………………
    [Show full text]
  • When Do People Trust Their Social Groups?
    When Do People Trust Their Social Groups? Xiao Ma1†, Justin Cheng2, Shankar Iyer2, Mor Naaman1 1Jacobs Institute, Cornell Tech, 2Facebook {xiao,mor}@jacobs.cornell.edu,{jcheng,shankar94}@fb.com ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION Trust facilitates cooperation and supports positive outcomes Trust contributes to the success of social groups by encourag- in social groups, including member satisfaction, information ing people to interpret others’ actions and intentions favor- sharing, and task performance. Extensive prior research has ably, thereby facilitating cooperation and a sense of commu- examined individuals’ general propensity to trust, as well as nity [5, 22, 33, 55, 60, 74]. In groups, trust increases member the factors that contribute to their trust in specific groups. satisfaction, and task performance; reduces conflict [33, 77]; Here, we build on past work to present a comprehensive and promotes effective response to crisis [53]. framework for predicting trust in groups. By surveying 6,383 Previous research has examined how different factors such Facebook Groups users about their trust attitudes and ex- as size [13, 21, 83], group cohesiveness [38], and activity [77] amining aggregated behavioral and demographic data for may impact people’s trust in their social groups, both on- these individuals, we show that (1) an individual’s propen- line [39] and offline [67]. However, previous studies tend sity to trust is associated with how they trust their groups, to be small in scale, limited to specific contexts (e.g., online (2) groups that are smaller, closed, older, more exclusive or marketplaces), or only consider a specific type of group more homogeneous are trusted more, and (3) a group’s over- (e.g., organizations [18, 50]).
    [Show full text]
  • AN ETHNOGRAPHY of COMMUNICATION LOOK at the SHAPING of SOCIAL RULES in SMALL GROUP INTERACTIONS MEDIATED by MOBILE DEVICES Pamela Gerber
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Communication ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 12-1-2012 VIRTUALLY PRESENT: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION LOOK AT THE SHAPING OF SOCIAL RULES IN SMALL GROUP INTERACTIONS MEDIATED BY MOBILE DEVICES Pamela Gerber Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cj_etds Recommended Citation Gerber, Pamela. "VIRTUALLY PRESENT: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION LOOK AT THE SHAPING OF SOCIAL RULES IN SMALL GROUP INTERACTIONS MEDIATED BY MOBILE DEVICES." (2012). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cj_etds/70 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communication ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i Pamela Gerber Candidate Communication and Journalism Department This thesis is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Thesis Committee: Dr. Patricia Covarrubias, Chairperson Dr. Mary Jane Collier Dr. Janet Shiver ii VIRTUALLY PRESENT: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION LOOK AT THE SHAPING OF SOCIAL RULES IN SMALL GROUP INTERACTIONS MEDIATED BY MOBILE DEVICES by PAMELA JOYCE GERBER B.A., ANTHROPOLOGY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, 2007 THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Communication The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico November 2012 ! iii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my amazing sister, Melissa. Who, since I’m dedicating it her, will now have to read in its entirety, even if it’s not about zombies.
    [Show full text]
  • Download [ 12,84 MB ]
    ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The materials used in this block are designed and developed by Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, Guwahati, Assam and OpenStax of Rice University, Texas. BACHELOR OF ARTS (HONOURS) GENERIC ELECTIVE COURSE I SOCIOLOGY (GESO) GESO-1 Introduction to Sociology BLOCK-1 SOCIOLOGY: DISCIPLINE AND PERSPECTIVE UNIT 1 MEANING, DEFINITION AND SUBJECT MATTER UNIT 2 EMERGENCE OF SOCIOLOGY UNIT 3 NATURE, SCOPE AND IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY UNIT 4 SOCIOLOGY AND OTHER SOCIAL SCIENCES GESO-1 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY The course ‘Introduction to Sociology’ tries to introduce the discipline of Sociology to the learners. It intends to familiarize the learners with some of the basic concepts and areas of interest in Sociology. This introductory course proposes to acquaint the learners with Sociology as a social science and the basic concepts used in the discipline. It also focuses on the concept of social stratification that man encounters as a member of the society. The course comprises of four Blocks. Block-1 describes the origin of sociology and also explains the meaning, nature and scope of sociology. It discusses the relationship and difference between Sociology and other social sciences like Anthropology, History, Economics, Political Science, and Social Psychology. Block 2 discusses the meaning and characteristics of the concepts like society, community, institution and association. This Block also discusses the meaning and types of social groups like primary group, secondary group, and reference group, in group and out group. It also presents the concepts like social groups, status and role. The meaning, types and characteristics of culture and civilization are also explained in this Block.
    [Show full text]
  • Kinship and Social Groups:A Modular Approach
    DOCUMENT RESUME . EU 260 783 JC 850 505 AUTHOR Kassebaum; Peter TITLE Kinship and Social Groups:A Modular Approach. Cultural Anthropology. INSTITUTION College of Marin, Kentfield, Calif. PUB DATE [85) NOTE 18p. PUB TYPE Guides - Classroom Use Materials (For Learner) (051) EDRS PRICE mr01/PC011usPostage. / DESCRIPTORS *'Anthropology;y; Community Colleges; *Family (Sociological Unit); FamilyStructure; Group Membership; *Group Structure; Kinship;*Kinship Terminology; Learning Act.vities;-LearningModules; *Social Structure; *Socioctural Patterns; Two Year Colleges IDENTIMRS *Cultural Anthropology ABSTRACT Designed for use as supplementaryinstructional Material in a ltural anthropology qourse, this learningmodule introduces ly employed terms used in the studyof kinship and AP soci 1 grou nceptual categories used Urdescribethe social stru tures of society are,defined first, includingculture, material culture, nonmaterial culture, society, primarygroups, secondary groups, aggregation, and social categorids. Kinshipanalysis is de-scribed next, with focus,on the followingconcepts: (1) the nuclear and extended family; (2) marriage, includingmonogamy, polygamy, polygyny, polyandry, sorral and fraternal polyandry; (3) residence, including exogamy, endogamy,matrilocal, patrilocal, and neolocal patterns; (4) bride price, dowry,and suitor service; (5) descent, including.kihdred, and bi1ateral,unilineal,'patrilineal, and- matrilineal descent; (6) clans, phratriesand moieties; and (7) leadership, including matriarchal, patriarchal,egalitarian, matricentric,
    [Show full text]
  • MODELLING STIGMA and PREJUDICE EXPRESSION This Version of the Manuscript Was Accepted by the European Journal of S
    Running head: MODELLING STIGMA AND PREJUDICE EXPRESSION This version of the manuscript was accepted by the European Journal of Social Psychology on 1 October, 2018 This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: Kende, A., & McGarty, C. A Model for Predicting Prejudice and Stigma Expression by Understanding Target Perceptions: The Effects of Visibility, Politicization, Responsibility, and Entitativity. European Journal of Social Psychology. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.2550 A Model for Predicting Prejudice and Stigma Expression by Understanding Target Perceptions: The Effects of Visibility, Politicization, Responsibility, and Entitativity Anna Kende1 Craig McGarty2 1 Department of Social Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary 2 School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Australia Authors’ note Corresponding author: Anna Kende, Department of Social Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella utca 46, 1064 Budapest, Hungary, email: [email protected] The authors declare that there are no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. MODELLING STIGMA AND PREJUDICE EXPRESSION 2 Abstract The study of hostile orientations toward out-groups is divided between three main domains: a) overt (explicit, old-fashioned, or hostile) prejudice, b) veiled (implicit, modern, aversive, or subtle) prejudice, and c) stigma. To date, there is no systematic account as to which form of hostility is likely to be expressed toward members of particular target groups. We propose a model that integrates the two forms of prejudice and the concept of stigma into a single framework.
    [Show full text]
  • GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS, and SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS Key Topics
    CHAPTER 6 GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS Key Topics 6-1 Social Groups 6-2 Formal Organizations 6-3 Sociological Perspectives on Social Groups and Organizations 6-4 Social Institutions Social Groups A social group consists of two or more people who interact with one another and who share a common identity. Examples: family, friends, athletic team Social Groups A primary group is a relatively small group of people who engage in intimate face-to-face interaction over an extended period of time. Examples: families and close friends Social Groups A secondary group is usually large, formal, impersonal, and a temporary collection of people that pursues a specific goal or activity. Examples: classes, work groups, volunteer organizations Social Groups Social Groups—Application Identify each as a primary or secondary group. A single mom and her child Your sociology class A married couple The McDonald’s Corporation Dyads, Triads and Social Networks A social network is a web of social ties that links an individual to others. Networks may be tightly knit and have clear boundaries or large and impersonal with fluid boundaries. The Internet includes many interlocking social networks such as Facebook. Dyads Triads Networks Sociogram: Identify your two closest friends Star Isolate Dyad Triad Un-chosen Network Exposure and Homicide Victimization in an African American Community Andrew V. Papachristos and Christopher Wildeman Department of Sociology, Yale University Conclusions Risk of homicide in urban areas is even more highly concentrated than previously thought. We found that most of the risk of gun violence was concentrated in networks of identifiable individuals.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 - 2022, HS, Sociology, Quarter 1
    2021 - 2022, HS, Sociology, Quarter 1 Students begin a study of Sociology by examining the units of Sociological Point of View, The Role of Culture in Society, and the Functions and Structures of Social Institutions. The state standards reflect those recommended by the American Sociological Association (ASA National Standards for High School Sociology). The course complies with TCA § 49-6-1005. Tennessee State Standards and Learning Expectations Sociological Point of View S.01 Describe sociology as a field of study and describe its origins. (C, H) • Define sociology. Define and use sociological terms to understand human society and interaction. S.05 Differentiate among various sociological perspectives or theories on social life (i.e., functionalist perspective, conflict theory, symbolic interaction). (C) • Name major sociological theorists and analyze their contributions to the discipline. • Explain the major sociological theoretical perspectives, including structural functionalism, conflict perspective, and symbolic interactionism. S.02 Compare and contrast sociology with other social sciences. (C) • Define social science. • Differentiate between sociology and the other social sciences. S.03 Explain how hypothesis testing is applied in sociology, including the concepts of independent and dependent variables. (C) • Define and explain the steps of the scientific method. • Apply the scientific method to sociological research. • Differentiate between various qualitative and quantitative research methods, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and explain how sociologists use them. S.04 Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of major methods of sociological research, (i.e., surveys and interviews, experiments, observations, content analysis). (C) • Find primary sources versus secondary sources and analyze the usefulness an internet source, table, graph, or group of statistics.
    [Show full text]
  • Families As Ingroups That Provide Social Resources: Implications for Well-Being
    SELF AND IDENTITY 2019, VOL. 18, NO. 3, 306330 https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2018.1451364 Families as ingroups that provide social resources: Implications for well-being Allen R. McConnella§, Tonya M. Buchananb, E. Paige Lloyda and Hayley M. Skulborstadc aDepartment of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA; bDepartment of Psychology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA, USA; cDepartment of Social Sciences, Mount Ida College, Newton, MA, USA ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY In six studies, we examined how properties of families as ingroups Received 30 March 2017 (i.e., group value, entitativity, and identifcation) enhance well-being, Accepted 1 March 2018 leveraging the Model of Ingroups as Social Resources (MISR). In Published online 26 March correlational studies involving college students (Study 1) and older 2018 adults (Study 2), people experienced greater well-being when they KEYWORDS reported that their families were greater in group value, entitativity, Family; ingroups; well-being; and identifcation. Studies 3–5 manipulated each of these three family social support ingroup properties, respectively, and we observed causal evidence that each one improves well-being. Study 6 replicated Study 3, and it ruled out a mood-based alternative account. These studies contribute to our understanding of how families afect people’s mental and physical health, and they provide an initial empirical test of these three ingroup constructs concurrently and in a manipulated fashion. The value of collective living is undeniable, and social groups play a critical role in human functioning and survival (Brewer, 2003; Caporael, 1997). In particular, the groups to which the self belongs are important in enhancing well-being, with ingroup memberships pro- moting self-esteem (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) and staving of depression (Cruwys, Haslam, Dingle, Haslam, & Jetten, 2014).
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Sociology – SOC101 VU © Copyright Virtual University Of
    Introduction to Sociology – SOC101 VU Lesson 07 SOCIAL GROUPS Different meanings of group: 1. Any physical collection of people. Group shares nothing but physical closeness. It is just an aggregation, a collectivity. 2. Number of people who share some common characteristic – which is often called as category. 3. Number of people who share some organized pattern of recurrent interaction. It can be an educational institution where people come and work, study, play. 4. Number of people who share consciousness of membership together and of interaction. Two essentials of social group Æ social interaction and consciousness of membership. A social group is two or more people who identify and interact with each other. Human beings come together in couples, families, circles of friends, neighborhoods, and in work organizations. Whatever it form, a group is made up of people with shared experiences (through social interaction), loyalties, and interests. Not every collection of individuals can be called a social group. Let us look at some other concepts that are often mixed up with social group. For example: Category: People with a status in common, such as women, Muslims, Pakistanis, students, teachers, and workers. They may know others who hold the same status; the vast majority may be strangers to each other. So there is no interaction on the whole. Nevertheless, there are always pockets of small groups within any broad category who interact with each other and are conscious of membership. Crowd: A temporary cluster of individuals who may or may not interact at all. They are too transitory, and are too impersonal.
    [Show full text]