Intragroup identification and intergroup differentiation: A multicomponent approach

Abstract

The factor structure of an intragroup identification scale was examined. Subjects participating in small groups worked on a decision‐making task, completed the identification measure and made in‐group and out‐group evaluations. Three factors reflecting emotional, cognitive and individual/group interdependence aspects of identification accounted for 70.5 percent of the scale's total variance. Based upon these results, the identification scale was decomposed into three subscales. Correlations between subscale scores and differentiation were positive, but small in magnitude (range 0.23–0.28). In contrast, subscale scores were more strongly associated with the in‐group aspect of differentiation ( r s from 0.37 to 0.62). Implications of the findings for social identity theory are discussed along with the value of multicomponent conceptualizations and methodologies.