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FB Kolloq WS 23/24: Immo Fritsche

„Agency Through the We: Group-Based Control Theory”

Veranstaltungsdaten

Prof. Dr. Immo Fritsche, Universität Leipzig
„Agency Through the We: Group-Based Control Theory”

Group-Based Control Theory (Fritsche, 2022, CDPS) proposes that people maintain and restore a sense of control through the self by identifying with agentic ingroups and acting as ingroup members. This implies that people re-spond to heightened levels of control motivation (e.g., as a consequence of threat) by identifying with agentic ingroups and joining collective action. In turn, collective self-definition and action should foster people’s sense of con-trol and, ultimately, well-being. In this talk I present Group-Based Control Theory as a distinctive account of social identity. Specifically, control can be distinguished from other social identity motivations such as self-esteem, un-certainty, or existence. I provide a brief systematic state-of-the-art review of the major hypotheses that have been derived from the theory and the current state of empirical testing. Beyond illustrating existing evidence, I also identify possible applications (e.g., intergroup conflict in societies and organizations, social cohesion, political action and the possibility of social change, responses to large-scale environmental crises, or health and well-being) as well as gaps and uncertainties to be solved in future research.