Is Identity Fusion a Catalyst of Extreme Self-Sacrifice for the Ingroup? Examining Threat to Group vs. Member Welfare

Identity fusion (a visceral sense of oneness between the individual and collective self) is proposed to be a catalyst for extreme pro-group behavior within the literature. However, existing work relies on self-report and relatively mundane behavioral interventions. As such, studies one through three explore whether identity fusion predicts a willingness to do an ostensibly real painful act (donating plasma, skin, joining the military) that benefits their group. Identity fusion only predicts willingness to volunteer within a military context. One possibility is that a military context creates a sense of group existence threat (as opposed to group member wellbeing threat). Study four examines this pattern by independently varying threat to group existence (yes, no) and threat to group member wellbeing (yes, no). Results suggest that identity fusion only predicts self-sacrifice in situations threatening group existence. Study five attempts to explore this threat distinction using an ostensibly real situation that varies in whether it is framed as threatening group existence or group member wellbeing. However, study five results were inconclusive. Overall, the pattern of findings suggest that identity fusion is a catalyst for extreme pro group behaviors but only in contexts where the group’s existence is threatened. Limitations and theoretical importance are discussed.