Dying and killing for one's group: identity fusion moderates responses to intergroup versions of the trolley problem

Psychological Science
William B SwannJolanda Jetten

Abstract

Using an intergroup version of the trolley problem, we explored participants' willingness to sacrifice their lives for their group. In Study 1, Spaniards whose personal identities were fused with their group identity endorsed saving fellow Spaniards by jumping to their deaths in front of a runaway trolley. Studies 2 and 3 showed that the self-sacrificial behaviors of fused Spaniards generalized to saving members of an extended in-group (Europeans) but not members of an out-group (Americans). In Study 4, fused participants endorsed pushing aside a fellow Spaniard who was poised to jump to his death and initiate a chain of events that would lead to the deaths of several terrorists, so that they could commit this act themselves. In all four studies, nonfused participants expressed reluctance to sacrifice themselves, and identification with the group predicted nothing. The nature of identity fusion and its relationship to related constructs are discussed.

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Citations

Nov 12, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Harvey WhitehouseWilliam B Swann
May 27, 2015·The Journal of Social Psychology·Tomasz BestaMagdalena Błażek
May 8, 2014·Behavioral Sciences & the Law·Michelle Dugas, Arie W Kruglanski
Feb 11, 2015·Archives of Sexual Behavior·William B SwannBeatriz Carillo
Sep 27, 2013·Cognition & Emotion·John T CacioppoDorret I Boomsma
Jun 16, 2015·PloS One·Sonya SachdevaMorteza Dehghani
Sep 30, 2016·The British Journal of Social Psychology·Paul ReddishHarvey Whitehouse
Sep 2, 2016·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Avital MentovichYaacov Trope
Jan 13, 2018·The British Journal of Social Psychology·Tiago BortoliniÁngel Gómez
Sep 15, 2017·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Dennis T KahnSonia Roccas
Mar 16, 2017·Scientific Reports·Harvey WhitehouseSergey Gavrilets
Jul 14, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Galston Wong, Bee Chin Ng
Oct 16, 2018·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Jan G Voelkel, Mark J Brandt
Jun 26, 2020·Frontiers in Psychology·Christopher M KavanaghHarvey Whitehouse
Jul 6, 2016·Politics and the Life Sciences : the Journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences·Jordan Kiper, Richard Sosis
Jan 1, 2018·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·William B Swann, Jolanda Jetten
Jan 17, 2020·Stress and Health : Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress·Martha NewsonHarvey Whitehouse
Jun 28, 2018·Psychological Research·Leor ZmigrodTrevor W Robbins
Oct 11, 2019·European Journal of Social Psychology·Christopher M KavanaghHarvey Whitehouse
Oct 21, 2020·Science and Engineering Ethics·Erick Jose Ramirez, Scott LaBarge
Jun 10, 2021·Scientific Reports·Roger M WhitakerYarrow Dunham
Aug 7, 2021·The Journal of Social Psychology·Juana ChinchillaÁngel Gómez

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