Expression of Distinct Group Identities
Social Identity Theory Laboratory Report
Simultaneous Expression of Distinct Group Identities
Social identity theory holds that an individual's self-esteem is tied to the groups they belong to and accordingly view themselves as having group traits. The existence of group identity was investigated in the present study by interviewing queued drivers after they experienced a suspected outgroup intrusion into the petrol queue ahead of them. Socioeconomic status, in terms of luxury vs. non-luxury cars, was the group identity tested. The data revealed that the 49 queued drivers that were surveyed were overall very upset with the intrusion, regardless of whether the intruder was driving a luxury or non-luxury car. However, there was a significant increase in the level of anger expressed by queued non-luxury drivers when the intruder and confederate buffer both drove luxury vehicles. These findings are consistent with multiple group identities being expressed simultaneously and may be an important consideration when designing queue management strategies to minimize violence and discontent.
Simultaneous Expression of Distinct Group Identities
Waiting in line for long periods can be trying even for the most angelic of personalities, yet only a few people actually react with anger and violence when someone tries to jump into line. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy last year, a man pulled a gun to silence a person who complained when he cut into line (Wilson, 2012). The short tempers in the New Jersey petrol lines are understandable given the need of workers to commute to and from work to maintain their economic well-being. However, short tempers and angry confrontations still occur when the goal is a less than essential commodity. In the United States, the Thanksgiving Holiday has become overshadowed by what occurs the day after on Black Friday (Gye, Warren, and Malm, 2012). In response to a pepper spray incident at one retailer in 2011 the Los Angeles Police Department monitored store openings in 2012. In 2012, shootings, brawls, and other incidents erupted across the nation when shoppers reacted angrily to queue jumpers.
While a police presence should have a calming effect on the bad behavior of some customers, this is no fail safe and is very expensive. There is a need, therefore, to understand why violence erupts so that more effective and less costly measures could be taken to prevent harm and maintain the social order (reviewed by Townsley and Grimshaw, 2013). Social identity theory may offer an appropriate lens through which queue jumping violence can be better understood and addressed.
Most people probably think people have a single personality or identity, but identity theorists increasingly believe that individuals have personal and social identities that are both distinct and overlapping (reviewed by Thoits and Virshup, 1997; Vaughan and Hogg, 2011). Personal identity theory holds that a person's personality traits define how they will act when alone or in a social situation, thus the personality is dominant in determining behavior across diverse situations. In contrast, social identity theory views individuals as members of groups and as individuals who perceive themselves as having group traits.
In between these two extremes is role-identity theory, which sees individuals as seeking self-validation by engaging in socially-accepted roles (Thoits and Virshup, 1997). The distinction most relevant to queue jumping is that role-identity theory would view those close to the point of intrusion as being responsible for confronting intruders. The social expectation imposed upon queued customers is therefore to protect the rights of everyone waiting in line not to be delayed unfairly. In contrast, social identity theory would focus on the intergroup interactions, such as 'queued customer' verses 'queue jumpers.'
Queues as Social Systems
There appears to be empirical support for role identity theory. Milgram and colleagues (1986) found that the distance from the point of intrusion, the number of intruders, and being behind the point of intrusion determined whether queued customers overtly complained. The authors admitted that the cost of the intrusion, in terms of delay, affected only those behind the point of intrusion, yet a significant percentage ahead of the intrusion also complained. While the queued customers did not act as a group to eject the intruder from the line, the behavior of those nearest the point of intrusion is consistent with taking on the role of protecting the integrity and thus the function of queue. A queued customer therefore adopts a socially-assigned role by virtue of waiting in line with others. In contrast, the authors of this study proposed that a waiting line represents a social system, with its own distinctive norms and symbols, which would be consistent with social identity theory.
In contrast...
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