Why people abandon groups: Degrading relational vs collective ties uniquely impacts identity fusion and identification

Recent advances, misconceptions, untested assumptions, and future research agenda for identity fusion theory

“…One of the main interests is the application of techniques that could reduce violent radicalization, at least when it is caused by fusion with the group. To that end, Gómez et al (2019) conducted a series of experiments to find out if degrading either collective ties (i.e., sentiments toward the group as a whole) or relational ties (i.e., sentiments toward individual group members) lowered identity fusion and pro‐group behavior. Results showed that degrading relational as well as collective ties diminished fusion with the group and pro‐group actions.…”

“…Strongly fused individuals value the unique characteristics of fellow group members and develop family‐like ties to them even when they are not personally acquainted with them (Swann, Gómez et al, 2014). Both fusion and social identity theories recognize the importance of collective ties, but the fusion approach specifically acknowledges the motivational role of the personal self and relational ties in predicting pro‐group behavior (see Gómez et al, 2019). Given these differences it is not surprising that fusion and group identification are associated to different variables or differ in regard to their predictive power, as several studies indicate.…”

“…Their studies found that fusion explained further variance than each of the identification measures. Recently, Gómez et al (2019) found that undermining relational ties to fellow group members affected fusion, but not identification with the group. These and other results (e.g., Gómez, Morales, Hart, Vázquez, & Swann, 2011; Swann, Gómez, et al, 2014) support that “fusion” and “identification” should be treated separately.…”

“…A third misconception is the assimilation of identity fusion to a personal disposition, akin to a personality trait, that leads individuals to fuse with groups. In opposition to that, research shows that fusion is the result of intragroup processes (e.g., sharing experiences, Jong et al, 2015; Segal et al, 2018; Whitehouse et al, 2017), that some of it components diminish when the group is threatened by internal events (Gómez et al, 2019; Vázquez et al, 2017), and that it does not correlate with a plethora of personality traits as the categories of personality of the Big Five (Gómez & Vázquez, 2015). Even though the former studies do not entirely preclude that identity fusion may be associated to some personal disposition not studied to date, they point to the idea that it is not a personality trait.…”

Censoring political opposition online: Who does it and why

“…For example, it is unclear whether strong moral convictions cause greater group identification or the reverse (Van Zomeren, Postmes, & Spears, 2012;Zaal, et al, 2017). Similarly, the temporal relationship between fusion with cause and group identification is not clear (Gómez et al 2019).…”