Group identification centrally involves positive affective commitment beyond cognitive self-inclusion

Evidence

For our purposes, we define group identification as the affective or evaluative attachment one has to one’s ingroup. Thus, it is not merely the strength of the “unit relationship” between self and the group (Ortony, Clore, & Collins, 1988) or the degree to which the ingroup has become part of the self (Smith & Henry, 1986). This kind of cognitive connection might be one component of group identification, but group identification as typically defined and measured in the social identity literature carries with it an attitudinal component as well – the sense that membership in one’s group is not merely an important aspect of identity but a positive aspect of identity as well. For example, Ellemers, Kortekaas, & Ouwerkerk (1999) distinguished between cognitive, evaluative, and affective aspects of social identity. Moreover, they demonstrated that it is the affective aspect, manifested in commitment to the group, which uniquely predicts in-group favoritism. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 302

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines group identification as affective/evaluative attachment with a positive valence, not merely cognitive unit relationship.
• XREF: connects to: High social identification increases conformity to group norms through shared feeling and thinking — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 810; Emotional identification with a group, not mere membership, drives group-based fear and anger — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 2267; Salient group membership extends the psychological self to the ingroup (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Emotional identification with a group, not mere membership, drives group-based fear and anger #corroborates (0.85) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2267
• Social identity fuses group membership, emotional attachment, and the drive for distinctness. #corroborates (0.82) — Nurit Shnabel and Johannes Ullrich, Identity Needs in Intergroup Relations, 52
• Salient group membership extends the psychological self to the ingroup #complicates (0.80)