Data from: Having a lot of a good thing: multiple important group memberships as a source of self-esteem

Membership in important social groups can promote a positive identity. We propose and test an identity resource model in which personal self-esteem is boosted by membership in additional important social groups. Belonging to multiple important group memberships predicts personal self-esteem in children (Study 1a), older adults (Study 1b), and former residents of a homeless shelter (Study 1c). Study 2 shows that the effects of multiple important group memberships on personal self-esteem are not reducible to number of interpersonal ties. Studies 3a and 3b provide longitudinal evidence that multiple important group memberships predict personal self-esteem over time. Studies 4 and 5 show that collective self-esteem mediates this effect, suggesting that membership in multiple important groups boosts personal self-esteem because people take pride in, and derive meaning from, important group memberships. Discussion focuses on when and why important group memberships act as a social resource that fuels personal self-esteem.Study 1a: Multiple group membership and self-esteem in childrenData is collected through surveys and compiled with the software package SPSS. Datafile contains items pertaining to multiple group membership (snoofgrps = number of groups children belong to, sgrp1name=group 1 name, sgrp1imp= importance of group 1, sgrp1fit = degree of fit).STUDY 1A.children.savStudy 1b: Multiple group membership and self-esteem in older adultsData collected in the field, compiled using the software package SPSS.STUDY1B- older adults in China.savStudy 1c: Multiple group membership and self-esteem among homeless peopleSTUDY1C homeless sample.savStudy 2: Number of important groups versus number of friendsSTUDY2 school boys.savStudy 3a: University students in ChinaSTUDY3A-chinese university students.savStudy 3b: University students in AustraliaSTUDY3B-longformat W1-3 MGM and SE.savStudy 4STUDY4-3groups.savStudy 5STUDY5- 7 groups-1.sa