Research article summary (published 22 Jun 2008):

Benefits of membership: the activation and amplification of group identities in response to social rejection.

Full Abstract

Groups vary in the range of benefits they provide to members, but one potential benefit of membership is a confirmation of individuals' sense of belonging to a larger social whole. The current studies present an exploration of this potential benefit by examining the activation and amplification of group identities and memberships following rejection. Results demonstrate that rejected participants exhibited heightened activation of group constructs, social identities, and idiosyncratic group memberships (Studies 1 and 2) and judged their own groups to be more entitative (meaningful and cohesive) than other groups (Study 3) as compared to controls. Moreover, heightened activation of group constructs and entitative group memberships after rejection was associated with higher self-esteem (Studies 1 and 2) and more positive mood (Study 4). The potential use of group identity activation and amplification as an indirect belonging regulation strategy is discussed within the context of a broader belonging regulation model.

Author information

Author/s: Knowles, Megan L (ML); Gardner, Wendi L (WL);

Affiliation: Northwestern University, USA. mknowles(-atsign-)uga.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Personality and social psychology bulletin (Pers Soc Psychol Bull), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Sep; vol 34 (issue 9) : pp 1200-13

Dates: Created 2008/08/05; Completed 2008/12/03;

PMID: 18577600, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 2/18/2009)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MeSH Headings (categories) shown below.

Adaptation, Psychological Adolescent Affect Culture Female Humans Illness Behavior

Judgment Male Pain - psychology Rejection (Psychology) Self Concept Social Identification Young Adult

Note: Bold headings indicate primary MeSH headings or qualifiers.

Related articles

These are the most related articles currently in our database:

• When hurt will not heal: exploring the capacity to relive social and physical pain. 30 Jul 2008
• Implicit orientation toward family and school among bilingual Latino college students. 30 Jul 2008
• Predicting intergroup bias: the interactive effects of implicit theory and social identity. 30 Jul 2004
• Conceptions and perceived influence of peer groups: interviews with preadolescents and adolescents. 29 Sep 1988
• Young children's evaluations of exclusion in gender-stereotypic peer contexts. 30 Dec 2000
• I am too just like you: nonconscious mimicry as an automatic behavioral response to social exclusion. 30 Jul 2008
• Perspectives and research on the positive and negative implications of having multiple racial identities. 29 Jun 2005
• Social identity contingencies: how diversity cues signal threat or safety for African Americans in mainstream institutions. 30 Mar 2008
• Culture, identity consistency, and subjective well-being. 29 Nov 2002
• Error and bias in comparative judgment: on being both better and worse than we think we are. 30 May 2007

See 100+ related articles.

Related Article Map

Legend: - FREE Full text Article. - Abstract only. - Title only. More help.

See a larger map of 100+ related articles.