The psychological importance of collective assembly: Development and validation of the Tendency for Effervescent Assembly Measure (TEAM).

Abstract

Although previous research suggests that connection to large, mostly anonymous groups is important for the fulfillment of psychological needs and a sense of psychological well-being, no measure exists to assess individual differences in this area. In 5 studies, we developed and provided support for the validity of the Tendency for Effervescent Assembly Measure (TEAM). Utilizing data from student and community samples, we conducted exploratory factor analyses to guide item selection for the scale (Study 1), evaluated the structure of the scale in an independent sample (Study 2), examined the convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the scale (Study 3), and assessed measurement invariance of the scale across different demographic groups (Study 4). Study 5 explored the role of social needs fulfillment in effervescent assembly, as well as examined the relationship of the scale with recent collective effervescence experiences. Results revealed that our final 11-item scale was unidimensional, with excellent internal consistency and good test-retest reliability over 2 months. Measurement invariance was established across gender, ethnicity, and religion, providing support for the validity of the measure across demographic subgroups. Importantly, the TEAM predicted decreased loneliness, increased positive feelings, a sense of meaning in one's life, self-awareness, and spiritual transcendence, above and beyond the effects of the big 5 factors of personality and collective and relational interdependence. Furthermore, results suggested that positive outcomes associated with the TEAM are because of social need fulfillment. (PsycINFO Database Record

Perceived Emotional Synchrony in Collective Gatherings: Validation of a Short Scale and Proposition of an Integrative Measure

“…The short form includes three items of felt unity and three of shared intense emotionality. As antecedents, we included an item on shared focalized attention and Gabriel et al’s (2017) question on behavioral synchrony. As a measure of a proximal potential outcome of PES (the experience that the event might help to transcend the ordinary) we used three of the original Gabriel et al (2017) items.…”

“…As antecedents, we included an item on shared focalized attention and Gabriel et al’s (2017) question on behavioral synchrony. As a measure of a proximal potential outcome of PES (the experience that the event might help to transcend the ordinary) we used three of the original Gabriel et al (2017) items. Item five was rewritten because, in a secular society, the concept of “sacred” is not easy to understand.…”

“…Other psychologists also conceive the experience during collective gatherings as a positive emotional state but not limited to cognitive and social identification processes. Gabriel et al (2017) posit that the collective effervescence experience occurs when a collective activity provides a feeling of connection to others in the crowd, a sense of engagement with something bigger than the self, and/or a “sensation of sacredness.” Their state measure of collective effervescence ( Gabriel et al, 2017 ) includes three items appraising connections to others (e.g., “I felt connected to others who were present at the event”), one item appraising shared emotions (e.g., “I felt as if most everyone there felt the same emotions”). and four items for sensation of sacredness (e.g., “I felt as if the event changed me in some way”).…”

“…A third antecedent is intentional coordination or behavioral synchrony among the participants in a given gathering. This coordination involves being in parallel (i.e., performing the exact same move) or interactive and complementary forms of interaction ( Draper, 2014 ; Rennung and Göritz, 2016 ; Gabriel et al, 2017 ). These three conditions facilitate the emergence of a shared or common mood and emotions.…”

“…It is the emergence of high arousal emotions and, at least in part, of strongly positive emotions (joy, elation) in the participants in a successful collective gathering ( Moscovici, 1988 ; Hopkins et al, 2016 , 2019 ). PES, as a psychological experience, provides a feeling of connection to others participants and in-groups, a sense of engagement with something bigger than the self, and potentially a sensation of living in agreement with values and moral standards ( Moscovici, 1988 ; Collins, 2004 ; Haidt, 2012 ; Gabriel et al, 2017 ) 1 .…”