
A growing body of evidence suggests that two distinct forms of group alignment are possible: identification and fusion (the former asserts that group and personal identity are distinct, while the latter asserts group and personal identities are functionally equivalent and mutually reinforcing). Among highly fused individuals, group identity taps directly into personal agency and so any attack on the group is perceived as a personal attack and motivates a willingness to fight and possibly even die as a defensive response. As such, identity fusion is relevant in explaining violent extremism, including suicidal terrorist attacks. Identity fusion is theorized to arise as a result from the sharing of personally transformative experiences with other group members, however evidence for this relationship remains limited to date. Here, we present a pre-registered study in which we examine the role of transformativeness and perceived sharedness of group- defining events in generating identity fusion. We find that both of these factors are predictive of identity fusion but that the relationship with transformativeness was more consistent than perceived sharedness across analyses in a sample of Indonesian Muslims.
fusion, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Social Cognition, social identity, BF, Islam, BF1-990, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Intergroup Processes, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences, Indonesia, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences, H1, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Psychology|Social Psychology, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Self and Social Identity, identity fusion, Psychology, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Psychology|Personality and Social Contexts, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Violence and Aggression, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology, extremism
fusion, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Social Cognition, social identity, BF, Islam, BF1-990, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Intergroup Processes, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences, Indonesia, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences, H1, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Psychology|Social Psychology, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Self and Social Identity, identity fusion, Psychology, bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Psychology|Personality and Social Contexts, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology|Violence and Aggression, PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Social and Personality Psychology, extremism
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 15 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
