A Social Identity Perspective on Group Processes in Sport and Exercise

Research on identity has grown exponentially within the field of psychology and related disciplines (1). This increased interest is perhaps unsurprising given that a consideration of identity across a diverse range of life contexts, including sport and exercise, has provided valuable insights into the cognitions, emotional responses, and behaviors of individuals as well as the social groups to which they belong. Identity exists along a spectrum ranging from the personal to the social (2). At the personal end of this spectrum lies the distinctive set of personality characteristics and observable qualities by which an individual defines him or herself (3). By contrast, at the social end of the spectrum, identity is characterized by the extent to which a person aligns with being a member of a particular social group, such as a sports team or a political party (4). The position one adopts on the identity spectrum is dynamic (i.e., sometimes the focus is on personal identity; other times certain social groups are more relevant). The focus of this chapter centers on the mechanisms through which people function at the social end of the identity spectrum as well as the outcomes that derive from identification with social groups in sport and exercise settings.