Sacred values and identity fusion interact to drive sacrificial self-interest.

Evidence

Sacred values are nonnegotiable preferences whose defense compels actions beyond evident reason, that is, regardless of calculable costs and consequences (Ginges et al. 2007). Identity fusion occurs when personal and group identities collapse into a unique identity to generate a collective sense of invincibility and special destiny (Swann et al. 2012). These two programs account for different aspects of intractable intergroup conflicts; however, here and in a companion article (Sheikh, Gómez, and Atran 2016), we argue that sacred values and identity fusion interact to produce willingness to make costly sacrifices for a primary reference groups even unto death, that is, sacrificing the totality of self-interests. — Scott Atran, The Devoted Actor, 9

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines sacred values and identity fusion as distinct constructs, then pairs them.
• XREF: Directly serves the reading purpose on sacred-value defiance of rational cost-benefit correction. — connects to: Sacred values resist trade-offs and override rational self-interest in decision making. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 545; Adopting a religious identity shifts the self from I to we and drives conformity. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 911; Sacred values are inviolable in conviction yet flexible in application due to interpretive ambiguity — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 549 (+2 more)

Related

• Sacred values resist material incentives and are best countered only by rival sacred values. (similarity 0.84)
• Sacred values resist cost-benefit correction unlike ordinary preferences (similarity 0.83)
• Sacred values resist tradeoffs because communities set them apart as nonfungible moral imperatives. (similarity 0.83)
• Sacred values bind group identity and give groups advantage through non-rational commitment. (similarity 0.82)
• Sacred-value commitment produces costly sacrifice that lets weak groups beat stronger foes. (similarity 0.82)
• Sacred values resist trade-offs and override rational self-interest in decision making. (similarity 0.82)
• Sacred values need not be religious; secular ideals also qualify as sacred. (similarity 0.81)
• Sacred values and resource scarcity create an irreconcilable tension in social life. (similarity 0.80)
• Defending sacred values defies material cost-benefit prediction across decision contexts. (similarity 0.80)
• Sacred values resist material trade-offs and respond to symbolic meaning (similarity 0.79)
• Sacred values engage deontic rule processing, not utilitarian cost-benefit calculation (similarity 0.79)
• Sacred values are processed as unconditional rules, not cost-benefit calculations. (similarity 0.79)
• Ritual participation plus perceived threat converts disputed preferences into sacred values. (similarity 0.79)
• Sacred-value defenders benefit materially yet must deny those benefits to stay non-negotiable (similarity 0.79)
• Sacred values can form quickly through ritual and perceived group threat. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Sacred values resist trade-offs and override rational self-interest in decision making. #corroborates (0.90) — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 545
• Adopting a religious identity shifts the self from I to we and drives conformity. #expands (0.80) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 911
• Sacred values bind group identity and give groups advantage through non-rational commitment. #expands (0.80) — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 264
• Sacred values are inviolable in conviction yet flexible in application due to interpretive ambiguity #expands (0.75) — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 549