The effect of social identity on objective and perceived social support in groups

The social identity approach posits that social identity fosters mutual social support within groups. However, prior research has relied almost exclusively on individual-level self-report measures, neglecting the mutuality of support and the group as a unit of analysis. This pre-registered one-factorial online experiment with three-person groups (N = 306 group members; N = 102 groups) examined how social identity shapes objective mutual support, perceived provided and received support and the perceived benevolence of received support. Following a pre-tested identity manipulation (N = 120), groups completed a video-recorded workplace simulation. Transcripts were blind-coded. Groups in the social identity condition engaged in significantly more objective mutual social support than participants in the personal identity condition. Social identity (vs. personal identity) did not affect perceived support but increased perceived benevolence, in terms of assuming underlying motives. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing among objective mutual social support at the group-level, perceived social support and the interpretation of social support to understand how shared social identity shapes the social support process.