Adaptation and Validation of a German Multidimensional and Multicomponent Measure of Social Identification

Abstract

Abstract. The present article describes a reliable and valid German multidimensional multicomponent measure of social identification. A translation of the original Dutch measure of social identification ( Leach et al., 2008 ) was adapted to the German context and validated in three different samples across three distinct identities using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results of Study 1 (organizational identity, N = 419), Study 2 (national identity, N = 274), and Study 3 (gender identity, N = 833) confirm the psychometric qualities of the German measure and replicate the theoretical multidimensional multicomponent model of social identification including the self-definition (individual self-stereotyping, in-group homogeneity) and self-investment (solidarity, satisfaction, and centrality) dimensions. In addition, Studies 2 and 3 provide evidence for the construct validity of the German subscales of the social identification components.

Five dimensions of European identity: A contribution to the Italian adaptation and validation of the In-Group Identification Scale

“…However, the idea of measuring identification with a single item relies on the proposed homogeneity of the psychological construct, which should be well represented by a uni-dimensional model. This is not supported by our findings, showing that Leach et al 2008’s hierarchical model fit the data better than a uni-dimensional model (see also Leach et al, 2008 ; Roth & Mazziotta, 2015 ).…”

“…This measure gives a complete view of group identity, and has robust psychometric properties. Recently, Roth and Mazziotta (2015) adapted and validated the scales on a German large sample, in relation to three different identification targets (gender, nation, organization). Results confirmed the good psychometrics quality of the instrument.…”

Identity fusion predicts endorsement of pro‐group behaviours targeting nationality, religion, or football in Brazilian samples

“…Although this has been a common procedure, it has lacked extensive tests (cf. Lovakov et al ., ; Roth & Mazziotta, ). Here, we provide compelling evidence that it is indeed a valid practice.…”

“…Second, although dozens of studies have already compared the roles of identity fusion and group identification in predicting pro‐group behaviours, no previous research has considered multidimensional measures of group identification, which might overestimate the power of identity fusion as a predictor of pro‐group actions. Finally, although several measures of group identification have been adapted to different social groups, they still lack strong evidence of measurement invariance, which has been empirically confirmed only for Leach's group identification measure (Lovakov et al ., ; Roth & Mazziotta, ). Additional evidence of measurement invariance for group identification and identity fusion will confirm the feasibility of their adaptation by only changing items’ wording, making it possible to use the same instruments to investigate different social groups.…”

“…This measure proposes a multifactor construct, dividing social identification into two second-order latent dimensions, composed of three and two components, respectively: self-definition, subdivided into individual self-stereotyping and ingroup homogeneity; and self-investment, subdivided into solidarity, satisfaction, and centrality. Leach's measure has already been validated in several other languages, including German (Roth & Mazziotta, 2015), Russian (Lovakov, Agadullina, & Osin, 2015), and Italian (La Barbera & Capone, 2016) and has been used in at least 20 studies focusing on different social groups, as reviewed in Lovakov et al (2015). This makes it possible to compare this measure cross-culturally and across different groups.…”