Explaining effervescence: Investigating the relationship between shared social identity and positive experience in crowds

We investigated the intensely positive emotional experiences arising from participation in a large-scale collective event. We predicted such experiences arise when those attending a collective event are (1) able to enact their valued collective identity and (2) experience close relations with other participants. In turn, we predicted both of these to be more likely when participants perceived crowd members to share a common collective identity. We investigated these predictions in a survey of pilgrims (N = 416) attending a month-long Hindu pilgrimage festival in north India. We found participants’ perceptions of a shared identity amongst crowd members had an indirect effect on their positive experience at the event through (1) increasing participants’ sense that they were able to enact their collective identity and (2) increasing the sense of intimacy with other crowd members. We discuss the implications of these data for how crowd emotion should be conceptualised

Efficacy and well-being in rural north India:The role of social identification with a large-scale community identity

Identifying with a group can contribute to a sense of well‐being. The mechanisms involved are diverse: social identification with a group can impact individuals' beliefs about issues such as their connections with others, the availability of social support, the meaningfulness of existence, and the continuity of their identity. Yet, there seems to be a common theme to these mechanisms: identification with a group encourages the belief that one can cope with the stressors one faces (which is associated with better well‐being). Our research investigated the relationship between identification, beliefs about coping, and well‐being in a survey (N = 792) administered in rural North India. Using structural equation modelling, we found that social identification as a Hindu had positive and indirect associations with three measures of well‐being through the belief that one can cope with everyday stressors. We also found residual associations between participants' social identification as a Hindu and two measures of well‐being in which higher identification was associated with poorer well‐being. We discuss these findings and their implication for understanding the relationship between social identification (especially with large‐scale group memberships) and well‐being. We also discuss the application of social psychological theory developed in the urban West to rural north India

Cold comfort at the Magh Mela: Social identity processes and physical hardship

Humans inhabit environments that are both social and physical, and in this paper we investigate if and how social identity processes shape the experience and negotiation of physically-demanding environmental conditions. Specifically we consider how severe cold can be interpreted and experienced in relation to group member’s social identity. Our data comprise ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews with pilgrims attending a month-long winter Hindu religious festival that is characterised by near-freezing conditions. The analysis explores (a) how pilgrims appraise the cold and how these appraisals are shaped by their identity as pilgrims; (b) how shared identity with other pilgrims led to forms of mutual support that made it easier to cope with the cold. Our findings therefore extend theorising on social identity processes to highlight their relevance to physical as well as social conditions

Is everyone Irish on St Patrick's Day? Divergent expectations and experiences of collective self-objectification at a multicultural parade

We examine experiences of collective self-objectification (or its failure) among participants in a ‘multicultural’ St Patrick’s Day parade. A two-stage interview study was carried out in which ten parade participants (five each from ethnic majority and minority groups) were interviewed before and after the event. In pre-event interviews, all participants understood the parade as an opportunity to enact social identities, but differed in the category definitions and relations they saw as relevant. Members of the white Irish majority saw the event as being primarily about representing Ireland in a positive, progressive, light, while members of minority groups saw it as an opportunity to have their groups’ identities and belonging in Ireland recognised by others. Post-event interviews revealed that, for the former group, the event succeeded in giving expression to their relevant category definitions. The latter group, on the other hand, cited features of the event such as inauthentic costume design and a segregated structure as reasons for why the event did not provide the group recognition they sought. The accounts revealed a variety of empowering and disempowering experiences corresponding to the extent of enactment. We consider the implications in terms of collective self-objectification, the performative nature of dual identities, as well as the notion of multicultural recognition

"Something that unites us all': understandings of St. Patrick's Day parades as representing the Irish national group

The present study investigates how attendees at national celebratory crowd eventsspecifically St. Patrick's Day paradesunderstand the role of such events in representing and uniting the national community. We conducted semi-structured interviews with people who attended St. Patrick's Day parades in either Dublin or Belfast. In year 1, full-length interviews were conducted before and after the events (N=17), and in years 1 and 2, shorter interviews were conducted during the events (year 1 N=170; year 2 N=142). Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis, allowing the identification of three broad themes. Participants reported that (i) the events extend the boundary of the national group, using participation to define who counts as Irish; (ii) the events strategically represent the nature of the national group, maximising positive images and managing stereotypical representations; and (iii) symbolism serves to unify the group but can also disrupt already fragile unity and so must be managed. Overall, this points to a strategic identity dimension to these crowd events. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research in terms of the role of large-scale celebratory events in the strategic representation of everyday social identities. (c) 2015 The Authors. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd