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Cited by 596

When group membership gets personal: a theory of identity fusion.

Swann, William B., Jetten, Jolanda, Gómez, Ángel, Whitehouse, Harvey, Bastian, Brock·2012·Psychological Review
DOI 10.1037/a0028589
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Abstract

Identity fusion is a relatively unexplored form of alignment with groups that entails a visceral feeling of oneness with the group. This feeling is associated with unusually porous, highly permeable borders between the personal and social self. These porous borders encourage people to channel their personal agency into group behavior, raising the possibility that the personal and social self will combine synergistically to motivate pro-group behavior. Furthermore, the strong personal as well as social identities possessed by highly fused persons cause them to recognize other group members not merely as members of the group but also as unique individuals, prompting the development of strong relational as well as collective ties within the group. In local fusion, people develop relational ties to members of relatively small groups (e.g., families or work teams) with whom they have personal relationships. In extended fusion, people project relational ties onto relatively large collectives composed of many individuals with whom they may have no personal relationships. The research literature indicates that measures of fusion are exceptionally strong predictors of extreme pro-group behavior. Moreover, fusion effects are amplified by augmenting individual agency, either directly (by increasing physiological arousal) or indirectly (by activating personal or social identities). The effects of fusion on pro-group actions are mediated by perceptions of arousal and invulnerability. Poss…

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Crossref · 10.1037/a0028589

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  • Identity fusion theory explains extreme self-sacrifice through a visceral sense of oneness with a group.

    “Identity fusion theory explains extreme self-sacrifice through a visceral sense of oneness with a group (39, 40)”

    From Volunteerism as a multidimensional form of human prosocial engagement (2026) · cites this paper as [39]

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Authors
Swann, W. B., Jetten, J., Gómez, Á., Whitehouse, H., & Bastian, B.
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Review
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2012-07
Volume
119
Issue
3
Pages
441-456
ISSN
  • 1939-1471
  • 0033-295X
DOI
10.1037/a0028589
Cited by
596
References
15
Language
en
Funders
  • National Science Foundation Grant (BCS-1124382)
  • Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PSI2009-07008)

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