Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T06:00:12.113Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Differentiated selves can surely be good for the group, but let's get clear about why

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2016

Sanaz Talaifar  and
William B. Swann
Sanaz Talaifar
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-0187. stalaifar@gmail.comswann@utexas.eduhttp://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/faculty/swann/
William B. Swann
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-0187. stalaifar@gmail.comswann@utexas.eduhttp://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/faculty/swann/
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We applaud the goal of reconciling the self and group literatures and agree that a differentiated self may sometimes improve group outcomes. Nevertheless, greater precision regarding the underlying mechanisms is needed. Specifically, differentiated selves improve outcomes by overriding selfishness when they allow for personal regulation (being personally recognized and valued) rather than social regulation (specialization of labor).

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 39 , 2016 , e165
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Gómez, Á, Brooks, M. L., Buhrmester, M. D., Vázquez, A., Jeen, J. & Swann, W. B. Jr. (2011) On the nature of identity fusion: Insights into the construct and a new measure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 100:918–33.Google Scholar
Swann, W. B. Jr., Buhrmester, M., Gómez, Á., Jetten, J., Bastian, B., Vázquez, A., Ariyanto, A., Besta, T. Christ, O., Cui, L., Finchilescu, G., González, R., Goto, N., Hornsey, M., Sharma, S., Susianto, H. & Zhang, A. (2014) What makes a group worth dying for? Identity fusion fosters perception of familial ties, promoting self-sacrifice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 106:912–26.Google Scholar
Swann, W. B. Jr., Gómez, A., Seyle, C. D., Morales, J. F. & Huici, C. (2009) Identity fusion: The interplay of personal and social identities in extreme group behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 96:995–1011.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whitehouse, H., McQuinn, B., Buhrmester, M. & Swann, W. B. Jr. (2014) Brothers in Arms: Libyan revolutionaries bond like family. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111:17783–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed