Multiple Group Membership and Self-Identity

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Abstract
This study addressed the fundamental paradox of how an individual achieves a unitary self-identity despite membership in many different groups. The investigation of this issue was conceptualized in the form of three strategies for resolution, and samples of Anglophone and Francophone adults were compared. In Part I, subjects' perceptions of their relationships with various groups were measured to determine which groups contribute to self-identity. In Part II, the interrelatedness of the groups was measured in two ways, in terms of commonality in members and in terms of commonality in values; these were analyzed by means of multidimensional scaling analyses. The results showed that subjects belonged to a fairly large number of significant groups and that the most important were personal groups rather than broad social categories. Francophone and Anglophone subjects differed in three respects: Francophones placed greater emphasis on their cultural group; their personal groups had highly similar values orientations relative to the Anglophones'; and the Francophones' own values were group-oriented and similar to those of all their groups, whereas Anglophones' own values were individualistic and less similar to their groups' values.

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