Why do people self‐sacrifice for their country? The roles of identity fusion and empathic concern

Abstract

Identity fusion with a group, a feeling of connection with it, is a good predictor of extreme pro-group behavior, an action to favor or protect the group, including self-sacrifice. Relational ties and personal distress (self-oriented emotional reaction; e.g., anxiety, distress) toward ingroup members in need have been evaluated separately as mediators of the relationship between identity fusion and pro-group self-sacrifice. Another mediator could be empathic concern (other-oriented emotional reaction; e.g., compassion, sympathy), but it has not been considered in the literature. We related those three mediators in a model. The objective was to analyze whether relational ties mediate the relationship between identity fusion and pro-country self-sacrifice whereas both empathic concern and personal distress mediate the association between relational ties and pro-country self-sacrifice. We expected that identity fusion with the country leads to more relational ties, which in turn evokes both empathic concern and personal distress, and those emotional reactions promote more and less pro-country self-sacrifice, respectively, with more effect of empathic concern than personal distress. We considered the country as the group reference because it is the most used in identity fusion research. In a sample of university students (N = 539), the results supported this model: Identity fusion promoted relational ties, which in turn evoked empathic concern and personal distress. Then, the last two variables predicted more and less self-sacrifice, respectively, with more effect of empathic concern than personal distress. We discussed the theoretical implications of the model, especially the relationship of identity fusion with empathic concern and personal distress-traditional explanations for pro-group behavior-considering the different motivations associated to both emotional reactions. Despite the limitations associated with the measurements, the data supported the model that relates variables not previously explored jointly.

Distrustful Complacency and the COVID‐19 Vaccine: How Concern and Political Trust Interact to Affect Vaccine Hesitancy

“…In such times, people make less distinction between the self and others and tend to perceive the situation as equally important or concerning for themselves and for others. Identity fusion is related to greater empathic concern (Landabur et al, 2022 ) and, in turn, to greater willingness to engage in self‐sacrifice and greater pro‐social behavior for the benefit of the community (Segal et al, 2018 ). In the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic, it could then be expected that self‐concern and other‐concern align (Abrams, Lalot, et al, 2021 ) and together drive the adoption of protective behavior for the sake of both the self and the community (see, e.g., Kleitman et al, 2021 ), including taking the vaccine (Enea et al, 2022 ).…”

“…In such times, people make less distinction between the self and others and tend to perceive the situation as equally important or concerning for themselves and for others. Identity fusion is related to greater empathic concern (Landabur et al, 2022) and, in turn, to greater willingness to engage in self-sacrifice and greater pro-social behavior for the benefit of the community (Segal et al, 2018). In the context 1 Anxiety can also lead to greater political trust in the direct aftermath of a crisis (Albertson & Gadarian, 2015) as citizens turn to their leaders for guidance and answers (for accounts of the rally-round-the-flag effect, see also Hetherington & Nelson, 2003;Jennings, 2020).…”

The Fusion-Secure Base Hypothesis

“…Imagined familial ties mediated the relationship between fusion and extreme pro-group behaviors (Swann, Buhrmester, et al, 2014), suggesting that the motivation of fused actors to fight for the group at least partially comes from a deep love and concern for their fellow group members, and a desire to protect them. This is reflected in research showing that the relationship between fusion and willingness to fight and self-sacrifice for the group is mediated by feelings of visceral responsibility to care for and protect the group (Chinchilla et al, 2022) and empathic concern for group members (Landabur et al, 2022). The effect of relational ties can be seen in the acts of generosity and kindness toward other in-group members among fused actors, reflecting the capacity of a fused group to comfort and support its members.…”

Análisis factorial confirmatorio de la Escala verbal de fusión de identidad en una muestra chilena

“…Cuatro principios han sido propuestos y respaldados por la evidencia para explicar las características de la fusión de identidad y los motivos por los que los sujetos con este sentimiento o fusionados están dispuestos a realizar conductas extremas progrupo (Landabur et al, 2022;Buhrmester et al,, 2014;Gómez, Brooks et al, 2011;Swann et al, 2010;Swann et al, 2012;Whitehouse et al, 2014): a) Sentimiento de agencia personal: los sujetos fusionados conservan el control intencional sobre sus conductas y se sienten responsables por las conductas, sea que las inicien ellos o el grupo. b) Sinergia de la identidad: la identidad personal y la social, al estar unidas en los sujetos fusionados, funcionan como un único factor, por lo que al activar cualquiera de ellas, aumenta la conducta extrema progrupo.…”