Taking the strain: Social identity, social support, and the experience of stress

TLDR

The social identity/self‑categorization model of stress proposes that social identity protects group members from adverse reactions to strain by enabling receipt of and benefit from social support. The study aimed to test this model by examining whether social identification buffers stress in groups exposed to extreme strain. To do so, the authors conducted two studies involving patients recovering from heart surgery and bomb disposal officers and bar staff. Both studies found that higher social identification was strongly linked to greater social support, higher life/job satisfaction, and lower stress, with social support mediating these relationships, and that group membership influenced perceptions of work stress.

Abstract

The social identity/self‐categorization model of stress suggests that social identity can play a role in protecting group members from adverse reactions to strain because it provides a basis for group members to receive and benefit from social support. To examine this model, two studies were conducted with groups exposed to extreme levels of strain: patients recovering from heart surgery (Study 1), bomb disposal officers and bar staff (Study 2). Consistent with predictions, in both studies there was a strong positive correlation between social identification and both social support and life/job satisfaction and a strong negative correlation between social identification and stress. In both studies path analysis also indicated that social support was a significant mediator of the relationship between (a) social identification and stress and (b) social identification and life/job satisfaction. In addition, Study 2 revealed that group membership plays a significant role in perceptions of how stressful different types of work are. Implications for the conceptualization of stress and social support are discussed.