Generalized Identification : Individuals’ levels of identification with groups and its relation to personality

Abstract: This thesis investigates a newly developed term coined by the author called generalized identification, which is the tendency that people who identify high with one group tend to identify high with other groups as well, and how personality variables from the Five-Factor model may relate to this tendency. A common component of identification towards 10 preselected groups was calculated (N = 148), with a principal component analysis. The result reveal that the generalized identification account for 41 % of the total variance. A stepwise multiple regression analysis further showed that Openness to Experience and Agreeableness from the Five-Factor model explained 26 % of the variance in the generalized identification. However, due to low reliability when measuring personality traits, the relationship between personality and generalized identification could not be interpreted in a satisfying way, and it needs to be further explored before drawing firm conclusions.