In the name of Mussolini: Explaining the schism in an Italian right-wing political party.

Abstract

The authors present a study testing and refining the social psychological model of schism in groups (F. Sani, 2005) by applying it to the schism that occurred in Alleanza Nazionale-an Italian political party of the right-in 2003. The authors found that perceptions of identity subversion (a sense that the group essence has been undermined by a change made by the group majority) have negative effects on group identification and positive effects on aversive emotions (dejection, agitation, and anger). Perceived identity subversion also has a negative influence on perceived group entitativity, which in turn has positive effects on group identification. Finally, group identification has a negative impact, and aversive emotions have a positive impact, on schismatic intentions. The authors also found that the more those who oppose the change are seen as having the ability to voice their dissent, the less both the negative impact of group identification and the positive impact of aversive emotions on schismatic intentions.

Kicking out the trolls – Antecedents of social exclusion intentions in Facebook groups

“…"This person's behavior fundamentally changes what this group stands for", on a scale from 1 (don't agree) to 7 (agree). These items were based on the work by Sani and Pugliese (2008).…”

The how and the when of the social cure: A conceptual model of group‐ and individual‐level mechanisms linking social identity to health and well‐being

“…A very interesting case is a change in group composition or groups in the process of schism. This can produce a threat to group identification as such processes give rise to perceptions of identity subversion (Sani & Pugliese, 2008; Sani & Reicher, 1998). In particular, if some group members feel that the group´s identity is undermined by a majority within the group or due to a change in group composition, individual identification and individually perceived group identification are likely to be reduced, resulting in higher levels of cross‐level incongruence for these group members.…”

Schism in Groups: A Social Psychological Account

“…Shortly after the schism occurred, I conducted a questionnaire study, in collaboration with Annarita Pugliese, aimed at testing the model of the schismatic process (Sani & Pugliese, forthcoming). This study involved a sample of members of AN, including a sub‐sample of people who were unhappy about Fini's turn but had not yet chosen a course of action.…”