Group-level versus individual-level effects of shared social identities

共同的社会身份和对社会群体的强烈认同，例如工作团队，可以作为压力缓冲和增加幸福感。然而，虽然共享社会身份的这些积极影响是公认的，但对具体的潜在机制知之甚少，特别是因为这些可能在群体层面上展开（例如，相互的社会支持），而且在个人水平上（例如，评价和归属过程）。本研究的主要目的是从概念和经验上解开群体和个人层面的共享社会认同对幸福感的影响。为此，我们开发了一个理论模型，区分了共享社会身份的三个不同方面：a）群体成员的个人身份，这应该通过归因的转变与幸福感联系起来，从而导致对社会支持的更仁慈的感知，B）群体身份（即，群体内的平均认同感），这应通过增加相互支持和提高集体自我效能感与福祉联系起来，以及c）个人感知的群体认同感，这应通过将评估过程从个人层面转向群体层面与福祉联系起来。在第一个项目阶段，我们完善并发表了我们的理论模型，并在总共13项实证研究中测试了我们的主张。总体而言，这些研究在个体识别方面提供了良好的支持，而群体识别和个体感知的群体识别的预期机制需要进一步研究（特别是由于COVID-19封锁规定，计划中的部分更复杂的研究设计无法实现）。在第二个项目阶段，我们计划实现三个目标：首先，我们将关注群体层面，作为相互社会支持的预测因素，并提供第一时间的群体层面数据。第二，我们将建立个人感知的群体认同的新结构，并研究自动的和很大程度上无意识的评价过程。第三，我们将研究相对认同的影响（即，个体认同与群体认同的正偏差和负偏差的后果）。为了确保两者，高生态有效性和高内部有效性的因果关系，真实的行为和幸福的客观指标，我们将追求一个混合的方法相结合的实地研究和实验室为基础的实验研究。我们计划进行四项研究来解决我们的研究问题：一项多波现场研究，员工嵌套在团队中，一项半定性访谈研究和两项基于实验室的实验研究，团队合作模拟和行为和幸福感的客观测量。

A shared social identity and a strong identification with a social group, for example a work team, can act as a stress buffer and increase well-being. However, while these positive effects of a shared social identity are well-established, less is known about the specific underlying mechanisms, particularly as these may unfold on a group-level (e.g., mutual social support) but also on an individual level (e.g., appraisal and attribution processes). The major objective of this research project is to conceptually and empirically disentangle group-level and individual-level effects of shared social identity on well-being. To this end, we developed a theoretical model differentiating three distinct aspects of a shared social identity: a) the group member’s individual identification, which should be linked to well-being via shifts in attribution, resulting in a more benevolent perception of social support, b) group identification (i.e., the average identification within a group), which should be linked to well-being by increased mutual support and increased collective self-efficacy, and c) individually perceived group identification, which should be linked to well-being by a shift in appraisal processes from the individual-level to the group-level. In a first project phase we refined and published our theoretical model and tested our propositions in a total of thirteen empirical studies. Overall, these studies provided good support with respect to individual identification, whereas the mechanisms expected for group identification and individually perceived group identification need further examination (particularly because parts of the planned more complex study designs could not be realized due to COVID-19 lockdown regulations). In the second project phase, we plan to achieve three objectives: First, we will focus on the group-level as a predictor of mutual social support and provide first-time group-level data. Second, we will establish the new construct of individually perceived group identification and investigate automatic and largely unconscious appraisal processes. Third, we will examine the effects of relative identification (i.e., consequences of positive and negative deviations of individual identification from group identification). To ensure both, high ecological validity and high internal validity regarding causation, real behavior and objective indicators of well-being, we will pursue a mixed-method approach combining field studies and lab-based experimental studies. We plan to conduct four studies to address our research questions: one multi-wave field study with employees nested in teams, a semi-qualitative interview study and two high-powered lab-based experimental studies with teamwork simulations and objective measures of behavior and well-being.