Social Identity and Psychosis: Associations and Psychological Mechanisms

Abstract

Humans possess a basic need to belong and will join groups even when they provide no practical benefit. Paranoid symptoms imply a disruption of the processes involved in belonging and social trust. Past research suggests that joining social groups and incorporating those groups into one’s identity (social identification) promotes positive self-views and better physical and mental health. However, no research has investigated whether social identity is associated with paranoia, nor the mechanisms by which this effect may emerge. Here, we examined the relationship between social identity and mental health (paranoia, auditory verbal hallucinations [AVHs], and depression), and tested the mediating role of self-esteem. In study 1, we analyzed data collected from 4319 UK residents as part of the NIHR CLAHRC NWC Household Health Survey. Study 2 comprised data collected from 1167 students attending a large UK university. The studies provided convergent evidence that social identification reduces symptoms of paranoia and depression by furnishing people with self-esteem. There was no consistent effect of social identification on AVHs. People developing mental health assessments, treatments, and policies are encouraged to consider the notion that joining and identifying with social groups may reduce people’s risk of paranoia and depression.

Are “they” out to get me? A social identity model of paranoia

“…These conclusions are in line with other evidence that paranoid psychosis is more common in migrant communities that are set apart, physically and psychologically, from the rest of society and whose members therefore feel like "outsiders" (Cantor-Graae & Selten, 2005;Veling et al, 2007). Importantly too, the association between neighborhood identification and lower paranoia has also been observed in nonmigrant populations (McIntyre, Wickham, Barr, & Bentall, 2017).…”

Academic and non-academic predictors of student psychological distress: the role of social identity and loneliness

“…Social identity has also been shown to have a direct effect on symptoms of mental illness, such as depression (Cruwys et al, 2013;Cruwys, Haslam, Dingle, Haslam, & Jetten, 2014;Cruwys, South, Greenaway, & Haslam, 2015), paranoid ideation (McIntyre, Elahi, & Bentall, 2016;Sani, Wakefield, Herrera, & Zeybek, 2017;Thomas, Bentall, Hadden, & O'Hara, 2017), anxiety (Wakefield, Bickley, & Sani, 2013), well being, and post-traumatic stress (Swartzman, Booth, Munro, & Sani, 2017). Moreover, in line with the Social Cure Model and Tajfel and Turner's original conceptualization of identity, part of the relationship between social identification and better mental health can be explained by the notion that belonging to social groups promotes more positive self-attributions (Cruwys et al, 2015;McIntyre, Wickham, Barr, & Bentall, 2017). Social groups can therefore be conceptualised as a psychological resource that provides people with fortification against distress by increasing the sense of belonging and self worth.…”

“…Higher education presents students with challenges and stressful circumstances, but also offers opportunities for deriving meaning, purpose and belonging through mastery and social connection. In the present research, we aim to detail the prevalence of mental distress in a student population and provide a comprehensive examination of student mental health by assessing a diverse set of social determinants, which include academic stressors such as performance and assessment stress, as well as social connection (e.g., social isolation and social identification) and background variables (e.g., childhood deprivation and maltreatment) known to be associated with poor mental health (Cruwys et al, 2014;Hill, 2003;McIntyre et al, 2017;Varese et al, 2012). We also look at more stressors likely to be relevant to young people attending university, such as cyberbullying, financial stress, and poor living conditions.…”

“…We also look at more stressors likely to be relevant to young people attending university, such as cyberbullying, financial stress, and poor living conditions. We examine these stressors in the context of three distinct mental health symptoms: depression, anxiety, and paranoia, which are common among young adults and have been associated with social determinants (Cruwys et al, 2014;Lee & Robbins, 1998;McIntyre et al, 2017). A final aim was to test whether identification with university-relevant groups can be considered a psychosocial resource that reduces symptom risk, and to identify the mechanisms by which social groups might improve mental health.…”

Differential valuation and learning from social and non-social cues in Borderline Personality Disorder

“…Learning whom to trust and when to revise trust attributions is a difficult but important task. People exhibiting extremes in trust can experience significant distress and personal risk, as in the very-low trust which characterizes paranoia (1) (2), and the very-high trust in Williams Syndrome (3) or amygdalar lesions (4). In Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), trust is unstable, and interpersonal relationships are subject to recurrent episodes of rupture and repair.…”