title: Having a lot of a good thing: multiple important group memberships as a source of self-esteem.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Jolanda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jetten
authors.affiliation: University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America.
authors.forename: Nyla R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Branscombe
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: S Alexander
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Haslam
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haslam
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Tegan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cruwys
authors.affiliation: Queen Mary, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Janelle M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dingle
authors.affiliation: Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Sean C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Anh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thai
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Zoe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Airong
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D012649:Self Concept; D012933:Social Identification