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Vicarious contagion decreases differentiation – and comes with costs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2016

Ovul Sezer  and
Michael I. Norton
Ovul Sezer
Affiliation:
Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163. osezer@hbs.edumnorton@hbs.edu
Michael I. Norton
Affiliation:
Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163. osezer@hbs.edumnorton@hbs.edu
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Abstract

Baumeister et al. propose that individual differentiation is a crucial determinant of group success. We apply their model to processes lying in between the individual and the group – vicarious processes. We review literature in four domains – attitudes, emotions, moral behavior, and self-regulation – showing that group identification can lead to vicarious contagion, reducing individual differentiation and inducing negative consequences.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 39 , 2016 , e162
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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