Identity Fusion: The Personal And The Social Meet

Identity fusion is a type of identity that occurs when other identities are linked together. For a broader understanding, it may be appropriate to think that we all have at least two identities. One of these is the personal identity, or the personal self, the other is our social identity, or the social self. Your personal self is directly related to your personality. That is, the personality traits that are prominent, extroversion, politeness, nervousness, etc.

Whatever the case may be, the personal self will consist of various traits that define you. On the other hand, the social self is more dependent on which groups you feel you belong to. For example, you may have a social self based on family, residence, spirituality, ethnicity, sports team, etc. Each of these identities comes with rules, values ​​and roles.

But how should we behave? Should we focus on our personality traits or the rules of the social group? This depends on which of your identities are activated. Usually it will be the personal self. This means that you want to display behaviors that are in line with your personal values. Sometimes, however, the group is more important. In these cases, you will instead show behaviors that match the role you have in the particular group, as well as the group’s rules and norms. One situation where this can often occur is if the group feels threatened.

Problems integrating the two identities

The relationship between the personal self and the social self can create problems:

• Motivation is what drives you, and your behavior. On the one hand, if you are motivated by the personal self, your behavior will match your identity. If, on the other hand, you are motivated by the social self, your behavior will be determined by the group’s rules and roles.
• The members of a group define themselves with respect for their social identity. As such, the members of a group can be considered interchangeable. For example, a person will have the role of “clown” in many groups. As a member of a group, it does not really matter which person takes on that role. What is important is that there is someone who can fill the role, regardless of who they are.
• The degree to which we identify with a group will depend on the context. Changes will lead to a change in the degree to which you identify with a group. For example, if your sports team wins an important competition, your social self will be very strongly linked to the event. Still, as the days go by after the victory, the connection will weaken.

Identity fusion

Identity test fusion is defined as a visceral sense of wholeness with a group. In people with an identity fusion, their bond with the group will be so strong that the boundaries between personal and social identity become blurred. What do we mean by that? This means that even when only one of the identities is activated, it can be affected by the other. For example, when others question the personality of an individual with an identity fusion, this will lead them to defend the identity of their group.

This new connection between the two identities leads to the development of a strong sense of belonging in the group. Precisely this affiliation increases the motivation of each of the group members to do the same for the group as they would do for themselves. At the same time, however, the personal relationships with the group members become stronger.

Principles of identity fusion

The main principles of identity fusion are:

• Agent-personal self-principle : A principle that claims that the actions of people who experience identity fusion reflect their personal self as well as their social self. In such a case, not every member of the group can be replaced because their personalities, as well as their role in the group, are valued.
• Principle of identity synergy : This principle suggests that personal and social identities can come together. This will lead to a high level of motivation to implement behaviors that benefit the group. These will be the first members to work together. Furthermore, each achievement will lead to further collaboration, both at group and individual level.

• Relationships : According to this principle, people who experience identity fusion, where both personal and social identities are very strong, believe that the other members of a group also experience this. As such, they will value the individual members of a group on the personal level as well. Strong relationships will arise as a result.
• Principle of irrevocability : According to irrevocability, the self will remain linked together, regardless of context. The bonds we have built with the other members of the group strengthen the identity fusion and make it permanent. Apart from that, the identity fusion only happens with one group, even though you may have several social identities. This exclusivity means that the individual refrains from developing strong identities with other groups and keeping the merger strong.

Which side dominates?

In conclusion, the relationships between the personal self tend to be mutually exclusive. That is, either one or the other will be activated. However, these identities are fused in certain individuals, and they provide feedback to each other. This allows the mentioned people to do more for the benefit of their group. Therefore, your behavior will depend on whether you experience identity fusion or not.