title: Self-verification motives at the collective level of self-definition.
abstract: Three studies examined self-verification motives in relation to collective aspects of the self. Several moderators of collective self-verification were also examined--namely, the certainty with which collective self-views are held, the nature of one's ties to a source of self-verification, the salience of the collective self, and the importance of group identification. Evidence for collective self-verification emerged across all studies, particularly when collective self-views were held with high certainty (Studies 1 and 2), perceivers were somehow tied to the source of self-verification (Study 1), the collective self was salient (Study 2), and group identification was important (Study 3). To the authors' knowledge, these studies are the first to examine self-verification at the collective level of self-definition. The parallel and distinct ways in which self-verification processes may operate at different levels of self-definition are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA. serchen@socrates.berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Karen Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shaw
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012649:Self Concept