Identity fusion, outgroup relations, and sacrifice: A cross-cultural test

Benjamin Grant Purzycki; Martin Lang

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2019.01.015

Identity fusion, outgroup relations, and sacrifice: A cross-cultural test

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Identity fusion theory has become a popular psychological explanation of costly self-sacrifice. It posits that while maintaining one's own individual identity, a deep affinity with one's group can contribute to sacrifice for that group. We test this and related hypotheses using a behavioral economic experiment designed to detect biased, self-interested favoritism among eight different populations ranging from foragers and horticulturalists to the fully market-integrated. We find that while individuals favor themselves on average, those with higher ingroup fusion sacrifice more money to other members of their ingroup who are unable to reciprocate. We also find that positive outgroup relations has a similar effect. Additionally, we assess a recently-posited interaction between ingroup and outgroup relations and show no consistent effect at the individual or sub-sample levels.

Original language	English
Journal	Cognition
Volume	186
Pages (from-to)	1-6
Number of pages	6
ISSN	0010-0277
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2019.01.015
Publication status	Published - May 2019
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Identity fusion
Cooperation
Sacrifice
Intergroup dynamics

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title = "Identity fusion, outgroup relations, and sacrifice: A cross-cultural test",

abstract = "Identity fusion theory has become a popular psychological explanation of costly self-sacrifice. It posits that while maintaining one's own individual identity, a deep affinity with one's group can contribute to sacrifice for that group. We test this and related hypotheses using a behavioral economic experiment designed to detect biased, self-interested favoritism among eight different populations ranging from foragers and horticulturalists to the fully market-integrated. We find that while individuals favor themselves on average, those with higher ingroup fusion sacrifice more money to other members of their ingroup who are unable to reciprocate. We also find that positive outgroup relations has a similar effect. Additionally, we assess a recently-posited interaction between ingroup and outgroup relations and show no consistent effect at the individual or sub-sample levels.",

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AU - Purzycki, Benjamin Grant

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N2 - Identity fusion theory has become a popular psychological explanation of costly self-sacrifice. It posits that while maintaining one's own individual identity, a deep affinity with one's group can contribute to sacrifice for that group. We test this and related hypotheses using a behavioral economic experiment designed to detect biased, self-interested favoritism among eight different populations ranging from foragers and horticulturalists to the fully market-integrated. We find that while individuals favor themselves on average, those with higher ingroup fusion sacrifice more money to other members of their ingroup who are unable to reciprocate. We also find that positive outgroup relations has a similar effect. Additionally, we assess a recently-posited interaction between ingroup and outgroup relations and show no consistent effect at the individual or sub-sample levels.

AB - Identity fusion theory has become a popular psychological explanation of costly self-sacrifice. It posits that while maintaining one's own individual identity, a deep affinity with one's group can contribute to sacrifice for that group. We test this and related hypotheses using a behavioral economic experiment designed to detect biased, self-interested favoritism among eight different populations ranging from foragers and horticulturalists to the fully market-integrated. We find that while individuals favor themselves on average, those with higher ingroup fusion sacrifice more money to other members of their ingroup who are unable to reciprocate. We also find that positive outgroup relations has a similar effect. Additionally, we assess a recently-posited interaction between ingroup and outgroup relations and show no consistent effect at the individual or sub-sample levels.

KW - Identity fusion

KW - Cooperation

KW - Sacrifice

KW - Intergroup dynamics

U2 - 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.01.015

DO - 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.01.015

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VL - 186

SP - 1

EP - 6

JO - Cognition

JF - Cognition

ER -

Identity fusion, outgroup relations, and sacrifice: A cross-cultural test

Abstract

Keywords

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