Differentiation Of Identity Fusion And Identification With Family, Friends, Country And Organization

Abstract

According to the body function regulation model approach to identity, we suggest to differentiate at least five different variants of identity formation: emotional commitment, simple identification, concealed identification, identity fusion, cognitive and affective processing. They reflect different forms of subjective control underlying the feelings of belonging or possessing regarding social groups. Our empirical study concentrates on the structural and functional differentiation of two variants – identification and identity fusion regarding four social groups (family, friends, country and organization) in two samples of adults (N₁=282 and N₂=100). The methods include the Russian versions of the Identity Fusion and Identification Scales, the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale, the Subjective Happiness Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Positive and Negative Feelings Scale as well as the modification of the “Who am I” method with the quantitative appraisal of valence, salience and the social approval of identifications. According to the results, factor analysis supports the structural differences between identity fusion and identification for all four social objects with almost no gender and age effects. For all four groups, identification and identity fusion are independent predictors of identity commitment and in-depth exploration as well as negative feelings about possible identity change. For the large groups, such as country and organizations, they independently relate to a lower reconsideration of commitment. While for the small groups (like family and friends), the reconsideration is associated with fusion only. The data also suggest that the emotional component of well-being is closer related to identity fusion (happiness, positive, negative emotions).

Keywords: Identity fusionidentificationthe body function regulation model approach to identitysocial identitythree-factor dimensional identity model

Introduction

Contemporary identity psychology tends to consider identity formation in terms of a number of different processes and multiple motives underlying these processes (Vignoles et al., 2006). Self-categorization theory suggests processes of self-categorization and self-improvement to be a basis for identification with a group (Turner & Reinolds, 2010, Hogg & Reid, 2006), while self-verification theory (Swann, 1983, Swann et al., 2009) formulates the idea of identity fusion as another variant of identification developing on the basis of self-verification. Comparing with identification, in identity fusion, personal and social identities do not repress each other; moreover, the actualization of one of them leads to the immediate actualization of another one. W. Swann considers identity fusion as an explanation of extreme actions for the group that would be hardly possible, if everybody tries to behave like the group prototype. Empirical studies of identification with the country support structural and partially functional differences (for instance, the different relationship to the readiness for extreme behavior for the group) between identification and identity fusion (Gomez et al., 2011).

Another approach comes from developmental psychology dividing different identity statuses (Marcia, 2002) and later identity processes (Luyckx et al, 2006, Luyckx et al, 2007), characterizing how synthesized or diffused identity is, and what is a person concentrated on the further development of this identity. The three-factor dimensional identity model suggests three processes. Commitment is an indicator of identity, certainty and consolidation. The in-depth exploration reflects the personal activity in thinking and searching for more information on the way to better commitment. Reconsideration of commitment describes the uncertainty in the identity and the process of looking for a better social object for identification.

Problem Statement

Different approaches to identity processes make it difficult to compare (both theoretically and empirically) different variants of identification. To our mind, one possible model that could be used as a basis for differentiation of the identity formation processes is the body function regulation model (Tkhostov, 2002). According to this model, as a person localizes the borders of his or her body there where he or she has no control over it, the person perceives a wide range of objects including social groups as “I am this”, if he or she experiences some kind of control. The theory distinguishes three forms of control: manageability (events start and take place according to the will of a person), controllability (the course of events depends on the actions of a person) and predictability (a person can predict further developments). All the forms of control could be more or less realistic or illusory, and based on more or less deep cognitive and affective processes. These differences lead to various forms of identity formation. The review of the relevant literature allows to differentiate at least five those forms: emotional commitment, simple identification, concealed identification, identity fusion and cognitive and affective processing.

Based on the body function regulation model, we expect that there are structural and functional differences in identification and identity fusion that would be similar across different social objects (for small informal and big formal groups).

Research Questions

From the theoretical point of view, this study has been devoted to the question whether there are different forms of identity formation that could be distinguished from each other due to different relationships to the group, readiness for some actions and general well-being. Empirically, we have chosen two variants discussed earlier (Swann et al., 2009) – identification and identity fusion – and four different social groups (family and friends as the examples of small groups with informal relationships, and country and organization as the examples of big groups when typically people don’t know all the members).

Purpose of the Study

The aim was to prove structural and functional differences (different relationships with other identity aspects and well-being) between identity fusion and identification with small informal (family and friends) and large formal social groups (country and organization).

Research Methods

Two different samples were used in the study.

Findings

Conclusion

Factor analyses support the structural differences between identity fusion and identification; moreover, these differences are demonstrated on two samples using four social objects (Henson, 2006). Age and gender are not predictive of identity fusion and identification across the group: we have found only the weak effect of age for country fusion and medium effect of gender for fusion with friends.

As a further support for functional independence of identification and identity fusion, they are independent predictors of identity commitment and in-depth exploration as well as negative feelings about a possible identity change. For large groups, such as country and organizations, they are independently related to lower reconsideration of commitment, while for small groups, (like family and friends) reconsideration is associated with fusion only. The data also suggest that the emotional component of well-being is closer related to identity fusion (happiness and positive and negative emotions), while satisfaction with the group correlates with both fusion and identification.

Acknowledgments

The present research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Fundamental Research, project 17-06-00849 «Motivational and cognitive-affective factors of identity formation»/

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