Perceiving collective continuity: Social psychological implications.

Human communities particularly ethnic-religious and national ones see themselves as having temporal persistence, as entities that move through time. What is it that makes groups look like self-contained, enduring entities? Why is it so important for us to feel part of something that has persistence and endurance, something that transcends time? What types of emotions does a sense of being part of a continuous collective entity raise in people? This research will make use of an instrument that measures people's 'perceived collective continuity' (PCC) - recently created - in order to explore its implications for various social and psychological issues. For instance, it will investigate the effects of perceptions of collective continuity on people's general sense of well-being, and on a pride in being part of a given collective. The study will also explore the possibility that the disturbing thought of our own mortality and the fear of being neglected by people that we trust, may intensify our desire to be part of long-lasting collectivities, because this provides us with a general sense of security, structure, meaning, and symbolic immortality