Research

There are several loosely related ongoing projects. These are some of the themes in our current research.

SIDE: Alternative explanations of Deindividuation Effects

SIDE stands for the Social Identity model of Deindividuation Effects. This model was developed to account for the paradoxical effects of anonymity, social cues and social presence in groups. Classical literatures (including deindividuation theory, social presence theory, media richness theory and other perspectives) have all argued that anonymity ( a lack of presence, a lack of richness) is a problem for the social dynamics in groups. But research offers a more complex picture (see Postmes & Spears, 1998).

SIDE offers an alternative explanation of the effects of anonymity and depersonalization in groups, which is based on Social Identity theory. The core concern of the model was to examine the multiple effects that the presence and absence of particular social and personal signals have on the salience of personal and social identity (see e.g., Postmes, Spears, & Lea, 1998; Reicher, Spears, & Postmes, 1995). One of the core predictions of the model is that anonymity can, under specific circumstances, increase the social influence exerted by social identity and group norms. The model has been tested in a variety of group settings, among others in Computer-Mediated Communication and online groups. Collaborators on this research are, among others, Russell Spears, Martin Lea, and Martin Tanis. For a recent review see Spears, Postmes, Lea, & Wolbert (2002, JSI).

More recent research on SIDE has started examining the strategic consequences of identifiability to the in-group and the out-group. Examples of this work are recent papers by Sassenberg and Postmes (2002) and Spears, Lea, Corneliussen, Postmes, and Ter Haar (2002). In addition, a series of studies has examined and questioned the distinction between interpersonal effects and processes online and effects in groups. In this line we have examined the formation of interpersonal relationship in ostensibly straightforward online tasks. Different studies have examined impression formation (Tanis & Postmes, 2003), the emergence of interpersonal trust (Tanis & Postmes, 2005), and the effects of relationship formation on task performance and enjoyment (Tanis & Postmes, 2007)

Communication and Social Identity Formation

This project examines how social identities are formed and changed. In small groups, we have studied how social identities emerge and change through ongoing interaction and debate. Groups can often deduce a social identity from their history or by contrasting "us" from "them" (a process of identity deduction). But we have also been studying how groups can construct a sense of social identity when members articulate and reconcile different personal identities within the group (an inductive path to social identity. See for example Postmes, Spears, Lee, & Novak, 2005, JPSP). We have also studied how groups develop shared cognition, and how this is closely related to the emergence of shared identity Swaab, Postmes, Spears, & Van Beest, in press, PSPB.

In all this research, communication plays a key role as the central process variable through which identity formation is made possible. In recent research we have begun to formalize our assumptions and findings in the form of a model describing how identity formation takes place. This "Interactive Model of Identity Formation" was developed to explain how inductive and deductive paths to social identity combine and interact (Postmes, Haslam, & Swaab, 2005, ERSP and Postmes, Baray, Haslam, Morton, & Swaab, 2006).

In 2006, the Economic and Social Research Council funded a large grant proposal entitled "The Individual and the Group: Social Identity and the Dynamics of Change". Stream 1 of this project is concerned with social identity formation and transformation.

Productivity in Teams and Organizations

In various projects we are studying the determinants of productivity. The central theme in these projects is to examine how productivity can be increased in various practical settings by strengthening social identity. The challenge for us is to discover how to do this, without undermining the group member's capacity for independent (creative) action (see for example Postmes, Spears, & Cihangir, 2001, JPSP or Adarves, Postmes, & Haslam, 2006, BPSP).

This research is increasingly related to the work on social identity formation described above. In recent projects we have been working with Lane4 consultancy to examine performance in sports teams and in organizational settings, in a collaboration enabled by a CASE studentship. The goal of this project is to find a way of maintaining team cohesion whilst individual team members are highly motivated to perform well as individuals.

Intergroup relations

In several projects we have been examining the consequences of racial, ethnic and sectarian segregation, and outgroup discrimination in particular. The consequences we have been most interested in are well-being, social identification and collective action. A good example of this research is a project to examine the well-being consequences of long-term racial segregation among African Americans (Postmes & Branscombe, 2002, JPSP). Recent research has extended these findings to other groups and social contexts.

In a different line of research, Thomas Morton and I have been exploring the relationship between theories about the origins of group membership and attitudes and behaviours toward members of those groups. In particular, we have studied the dynamic uses of essentialism (i.e., the belief that membership in a particular social category is biologically determined and thus inherent and immutable). This is ongoing research. Some initial results are reported in a recent paper by Morton, Haslam, Postmes, and Ryan (2006).

Finally, in recent research we have begun to study the intra-group dimension of intergroup relations. One strand of research looked at the effects of consensualization and intra-group interaction on hostile action intentions. This research suggests that processes of social validation and norm formation are of key importance in translating negative intergroup stereotypes into full blown hostility.