Toward an integrative social identity model of collective action: a quantitative research synthesis of three socio-psychological perspectives.

By Martijn van Zomeren, Tom Postmes, Russell Spears. Psychological bulletin, 2008

2,455 citations recorded by the source corpus.

An integrative social identity model of collective action (SIMCA) is developed that incorporates 3 socio-psychological perspectives on collective action. Three meta-analyses synthesized a total of 182 effects of perceived injustice, efficacy, and identity on collective action (corresponding to these socio-psychological perspectives). Results showed that, in isolation, all 3 predictors had medium-sized (and causal) effects. Moreover, results showed the importance of social identity in predicting collective action by supporting SIMCA's key predictions that (a) affective injustice and politicized identity produced stronger effects than those of non-affective injustice and non-politicized identity; (b) identity predicted collective action against both incidental and structural disadvantages, whereas injustice and efficacy predicted collective action against incidental disadvantages better than against structural disadvantages; (c) all 3 predictors had unique medium-sized effects on collective action when controlling for between-predictor covariance; and (d) identity bridged the injustice and efficacy explanations of collective action. Results also showed more support for SIMCA than for alternative models reflecting previous attempts at theoretical integration. The authors discuss key implications for theory, practice, future research, and further integration of social and psychological perspectives on collective action.

Subfields: Social Psychology, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/45cddbdf855141daa5be6ced32a1a0b2f28d954f

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Citations in the corpus

Building a Tower of Babel? Integrating Core Motivations and Features of Social Structure into the Political Psychology of Political Action (2016, background): “For instance, although outcome expectancy certainly reflects a relevant aspect of individuals’ motivation for political action, group efficacy beliefs are also relevant (e.g., Van Zomeren et al., 2008).”
Integrating who “we” are with what “we” (will not) stand for: A further extension of the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (2018, methodology): “…5 shows that, among social science students, communicating value violation (in contrast to control conditions) increased the importance of perceived injustice as a predictor of politicised identification – a motivational signature of higher identifiers with the group (Van Zomeren et al., 2008).”
Acting in Solidarity: Cross‐Group Contact between Disadvantaged Group Members and Advantaged Group Allies (2016, positive): “Second, feelings of collective control also involve a belief that one’s group has the agency or collective efficacy to take advantage of instability in the system – that the group has suitable resources and abilities to effect change (e.g., van Zomeren et al., 2008).”
Missing in (Collective) Action (2017, background): “ideology, system justification, moral outrage, collective action, protest To integrate diverse studies of collective action, van Zomeren, Postmes, and Spears (2008) advanced the social identity model of collective action (SIMCA), which holds that “social identity predicts collective action directly…”
Hope and Anger as Mediators Between Collective Action Frames and Participation in Collective Mobilization: The Case of 15-M (2017, methodology): “Indeed, the comparison of recently proposed models of collective action (Thomas et al., 2009a; van Zomeren et al., 2008) permitted us an evaluation of the facilitating and encapsulating effect of collective identity in collective action.”