Feeling like a group member : social identity, group-based appraisals and group-based emotions

The general idea developed in this thesis is that emotions can not only be individual, but also group-based. We define group-based emotions as emotional reactions to group concerns. Theoretically, we argue that (1) people belong to groups because they depend on the group for certain advantages and therefore should be sensitive to the group’s situation to the extent that the group is important to them, (2) the most fundamental characteristic of individual emotions is that they result from an evaluation or appraisal of the environment in light of the individual’s concerns, and (3) the combination of these two ideas suggests that there is a process of group-based emotional appraisal in which people evaluate the environment in lights of the group’s concerns, i.e. people make group-based appraisals and feel group-based emotions. Seven studies provide empirical support for the role of group-based appraisal in group-based emotion. Three studies show that temporarily increasing the salience of a particular group identity increases appraisals and emotions on behalf of that group. Two follow-up studies confirm this finding using a spontaneous (open-ended) measure of group-based appraisals. Two other studies show that when feelings of social exclusion are induced, people engage more in group-based appraisal, in an apparent attempt to affiliate with group members. We also explore some consequences of the importance of group-based appraisal for group-based emotion. First, we criticize recent conceptualizations of so-called chronic group emotions, and show that these are emotions about group membership (i.e., belonging emotions) rather than emotions because of group membership (i.e., group-based emotions). Second, we investigate the possibility that some appraisals and emotions are chronically linked to certain groups. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results for classifications of group-level emotions, ways to measure group-based emotions, the adaptive nature of group-based emotions, and how to change intergroup relations.(PSY 3) -- UCL, 201