When Trust Goes Wrong: A Social Identity Model of Risk Taking

• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/5fwre
• Publication Date: 2020-03-09T05:38:02Z
• Authors: Tegan Cruwys; Katharine Helen G...; Laura J Ferris; Joanne Rathbone; Alexander K Saeri; Elyse Williams; Stacey Louise Parker; Melissa Xue-Ling ...; Nicholas Croft; William John Bingley; Laura Grace
• Keywords: Ingroups and outgroups; Outgroup; Moderation; Association (psychology)

Risk taking is typically viewed through a lens of individual deficits (e.g., impulsivity) or normative influence peer pressure). An unexplored possibility that shared group membership, and the trust flows from it, may play role in reducing risk perceptions promoting risky behavior. We propose test Social Identity Model Taking eight studies (total N = 4,708) employ multiple methods including minimal paradigms, correlational, longitudinal, experimental designs to investigate effect social identity across diverse contexts. Studies 1 2 provided evidence for basic premise model, showing ingroup members were perceived as posing lower inspired greater behavior than outgroup members. Study 3 found identification was moderator, such membership strongest among high identifiers. 4 5 festival attendees showed correlational longitudinal model further risk-taking mediated by trust, not disgust. 6 manipulated mediator untrustworthy faces trusted more less when they compared 7 8 identified integrity subcomponent consistently promotes presence The findings reveal potent source discounting memberships we share with others. Ironically, this means people most sometimes pose greatest risk.