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Understanding Our Groups, Understanding Ourselves: The Importance of Collective Identity Clarity and Collective Coherence to the Self

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Self-Concept Clarity

Abstract

The multiple group identities we all maintain (gender, cultural, religious, or professional) are critical to both self-knowledge and self-understanding. However, consideration of self-concept clarity at the collective level is in its infancy. The current chapter introduces two constructs that are integral to collective self-concept clarity. First, “collective identity clarity” refers to one’s understanding of the norms and values of each of the individual groups to which they belong. Second, “collective coherence” refers to the process of integrating all of one’s distinct group identities in a coherent structure. We review research relevant to each of these two components, highlight evidence linking collective self-concept clarity to psychological well-being, and outline avenues for future study.

Although we assume a constant striving for unity, we do not assume that the outcome of the striving is necessarily successful…If we accept definitions of ourselves as members of groups, it is just as necessary to maintain these definitions as to maintain definitions of ourselves as isolated individuals.

Prescott Lecky (1945).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Wendi L. Gardner & Alexandra Garr-Schultz

Authors
  1. Wendi L. Gardner
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  2. Alexandra Garr-Schultz
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Correspondence to Wendi L. Gardner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Sciences and Institute for Autism Research, Canisius College, Buffalo, New York, USA

    Jennifer Lodi-Smith

  2. Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA

    Kenneth G. DeMarree

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Gardner, W.L., Garr-Schultz, A. (2017). Understanding Our Groups, Understanding Ourselves: The Importance of Collective Identity Clarity and Collective Coherence to the Self. In: Lodi-Smith, J., DeMarree, K. (eds) Self-Concept Clarity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71547-6_7

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