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Cited by 3,401Social and Intergroup PsychologyCultural Differences and ValuesSocial Representations and Identity

Who is this "We"? Levels of collective identity and self representations.

Brewer, Marilynn B., Gardner, Wendi·1996·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
DOI 10.1037/0022-3514.71.1.83
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Abstract

Cross-cultural perspectives have brought renewed interest in the social aspects of the self and the extent to which individuals define themselves in terms of their relationships to others and to social groups. This article provides a conceptual review of research and theory of the social self, arguing that the personal, relational, and collective levels of self-definition represent distinct forms of selfrepresentation with different origins, sources of self-worth, and social motivations. A set of 3 experiments illustrates haw priming of the interpersonal or collective we can alter spontaneous judgments of similarity and self-descriptions. Until recently, social psychological theories of the self focused on the individuated self-concept—the person's sense of unique identity differentiated from others. Cross-cultural perspectives, however, have brought a renewed interest in the social aspects of the self and the extent to which individuals define themselves in terms of their relationships to others and to social groups (Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Triandis, Bontempo, Villareal, Asai, & Lucca, 1988). Central to this new perspective is the idea that connectedness and belonging are not merely affiliations or alliances between the self and others but entail fundamental differences in the way the self is construed (Brewer, 1991; Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Singelis, 1994; Trafimow, Triandis, & Goto, 1991; Triandis, 1989; Turner, Oakes, Haslam, & McGarty, 1994). Some of these theories of the social self focus on cross-cultural differences in whether the self is typically construed as individuated or interpersonal. However, all recognize that these different self-construals may also coexist within the same individual, available to be activated at different times or in different contexts. Furthermore, in several theories, achieving an extended sense of self has the status of a fundamental human motivation (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Brewer, 1991). In other words, individuals seek to define themselves in terms of their immersion in relationships with others and with larger collectives and derive much of their self-evaluation from such social identities (Breckler & Greenwald, 1986; Greenwald & Breckler, 1985). The motivational properties of collective identities are systematically documented in Baumeister and Leary's (1995) comprehensive review of the evidence in support of a fundamental need to belong as an innate feature of human nature. All of the theories mentioned above draw some kind of distinction between the individuated or personal self (those aspects of the self-concept that differentiate the self from all others) and a relational or social self (those aspects of the self-concept that

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  • Cultures that emphasize individualism, low power distance, and low uncertainty avoidance create a cultural environment that supports expression of unique ideas and exploration of new ways of doing things.

    “In contrast, cultures that emphasize the values of individualism, low power distance, and low uncertainty avoidance create a cultural environment that supports the expression of one's unique ideas and the exploration of new ways of doing things (Brewer & Chen, 2007; Brewer & Gardner, 1996; Kim & Markus, 1999).”

    From Creativity: The Influence of Cultural, Social, and Work Contexts (2010) · cites this paper as Brewer & Gardner, 1996

  • Individuals need to balance the tension between their need to distinguish themselves from others and be unique individuals, and their willingness to belong to others and assimilate.

    “Individuals need to balance the tension between their need to distinguish them selves from others and be unique individuals, and their willingness to belong to others and assimilate (Brewer & Chen, 2007; Brewer & Gardner, 1996).”

    From Creativity: The Influence of Cultural, Social, and Work Contexts (2010) · cites this paper as Brewer & Gardner, 1996

  • Assimilation versus differentiation needs are related to the values of collectivism versus individualism.

    “Assimilation vs. differentiation needs are related to the values of collectivism vs. individualism (Brewer & Gardner, 1996).”

    From Creativity: The Influence of Cultural, Social, and Work Contexts (2010) · cites this paper as Brewer & Gardner, 1996

  • The social self can be differentiated into the relational self and the collective self.

    “Under the social self, we can further differentiate between the relational and the collective self [17, 18].”

    From Self-esteem and subjective well-being revisited: The roles of personal, relational, and collective self-esteem (2017) · cites this paper as [17]

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Authors
Brewer, M. B., & Gardner, W.
Affiliations
The Ohio State University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
1996-07
Volume
71
Issue
1
Pages
83-93
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
DOI
10.1037/0022-3514.71.1.83
OpenAlex
W2015152577
Cited by
3,401
References
60
Citations by year
2026: 143 · 2025: 139 · 2024: 123 · 2023: 164 · 2022: 154 · 2021: 176 · 2020: 251 · 2019: 195 · 2018: 166 · 2017: 155 · 2016: 158 · 2015: 156 · 2014: 168 · 2013: 147 · 2012: 180
FWCI
55.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Social Representations and Identity
Keywords
collective identity, social self, self-construal, extended self, need to belong, self-representation, social identity, self-concept, similarity judgments, self-description, self-worth, social motivation, self-construal priming

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