How long can cultural events elevate group identity salience? The mediating role of affective adaptation

Sylvia Xiaohua Chen, Chin Ming Hui, Jacky C.K. Ng, Yanjun Guan

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cultural events have been found to make one’s group identity temporarily more salient. How long such an elevated sense of identity can endure remains, however, an empirical question. Building upon the model of affective adaptation, we propose that the elevated sense of group identity may decrease quickly during a culturally important event, and this process is mediated by the decline of positive emotions during the event. Consistent with this prediction, a diary study (Study 1) with a Chinese sample observed that Chinese identity was very salient at the beginning of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and then was gradually neutralized during the event. Moreover, the dissipation of positive emotions during the event mediated temporal change of the salience of Chinese identity. An experiment (Study 2) further showed that positive emotions during national-identity-related events could create the initial elevation and subsequent decline of the salience of the group identity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)126-143
Number of pages18
JournalSelf and Identity
Volume18
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Mar 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Emotion
  • affective adaptation
  • cultural event
  • identity salience

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Psychology

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