Group Identity and Alienation: Giving the We Its Due

By B. Newman, P. Newman. 2001

166 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The purpose of this paper is to argue for greater understanding and valuing of group affiliation and the formation of allegiances to groups during early adolescence. An overemphasis on themes of individual identity, self-reliance, and autonomy as the developmental trajectory of adolescence leads to a lack of attention to the positive, normative mechanisms that permit young adolescents to achieve a sense of belonging and connection. We propose developmental processes which underlie the capacity for reflection about groups, 4 basic components of group identity, and 6 propositions about new capacities that emerge as young adolescents struggle with the dialectic between group identity and alienation. The final section suggests opportunities that can emerge through a more appropriate emphasis on group identity as a valued, normative aspect of development during the early adolescent years.

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/3c1170b9c2de960931b2ec419a3553742bc5cdb7

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Clinical Psychology

1. Debra Pepler
2. Wendy Craig
3. J. Connolly
4. E. Schachter
5. Y. Rich

In Developmental and Educational Psychology

1. Debra Pepler
2. Wendy Craig
3. E. Schachter
4. Y. Rich
5. Christina Salmivalli
6. D. Cornell
7. Robert Thornberg
8. James D. Unnever

In Social Psychology

1. Debra Pepler
2. Wendy Craig
3. J. Connolly
4. E. Schachter
5. Y. Rich
6. D. Cornell
7. Christina Salmivalli
8. Robert Thornberg

Citations in the corpus

• School Belonging in Different Cultures: The Effects of Individualism and Power Distance (2017, unknown): “Although inclusion in peer groups is particularly important in adolescence in Western cultures (Fuligni et al., 2001; Newman and Newman, 2001), 15-year olds also have the cognitive capacity to realize that social identity operates differently in different contexts (Kumar and Maehr, 2010), and peer…”
• Mixed‐Gender Groups, Dating, and Romantic Relationships in Early Adolescence (2004, background): “The transition to adolescence is a period of rapid change, and young adolescents seek peer connections to obtain a stable point of reference during this time (Brown, 1999; Newman & Newman, 2001 ).”
• Identity Education: A Conceptual Framework for Educational Researchers and Practitioners (2011, background): “Identity development has alternatively been described as fueled by one’s need for coherence, direction, and purpose (McAdams, 1997); by one’s need to feel competent and masterful (Ryan & Deci, 2003); and by one’s need for a sense of belonging (Faircloth, 2009; Newman & Newman, 2001).”