Regulatory Fit Buffers Against Disidentification From Groups

Disidentification refers to people's active psychological distancing from a group due to a negative self-defining affiliation with the group. Because disidentification can threaten group survival and group functioning, it is important to gain insight into factors that potentially buffer its occurrence. A field study and an experiment (with 2 replications) suggest that regulatory fit between group regulatory focus and individual regulatory focus can reduce group members' tendency to disidentify from their group. Specifically, we found that in promotion-focused groups, members' promotion focus reduced disidentification whereas in prevention-focused groups, members' prevention focus reduced disidentification. These findings suggest groups and organizations aiming to reduce lack of effort, attrition, and turnover associated with disidentification, might do so by tailoring the work environment to the individual's self-regulatory preferences.