Constantine Sedikides

University of North Carolina

The Inevitability of the Individual self

Lazenby Hall, Room 34, at 4:00 PM
on Thursday, October 1, 1998

             The presented research examined the dynamics between the individual self
(self-representation independent of group membership) and the collective
self (self-representation derived from group membership) to test whether (a)
the individual self is the motivationally primary basis of self definition,
(b) the collective self is the motivationally primary basis of self
definition, or (c) motivational primacy is context dependent. Relative to
participants (Ps) whose collective self was threatened, Ps whose individual
self was threatened (a) considered the threat more severe, (b) experienced a
more negative mood, (c) reported more anger, and (d) derogated to a greater
extent the source of threat. In response to a threat to the individual
self, self-definition shifted toward the non-threatened collective self
(i.e., Ps de-emphasized personal uniqueness and identified more strongly
with the group). Analogous effects did not occur when the collective self
was threatened. Finally, a self-description task indicated that, when Ps
describe themselves, they generate more aspects of their individual than
collective self. The above effects occurred even when confounding variables
(i.e., accessibility of the two selves, levels of group identification,
levels of individualism and collectivism, importance of threat domain) were
controlled. The individual self is motivationally primary.

Constantine Sedikides

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