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An examination of politician's attitudes towards the European Union (EU) that are affected by comparative identity processes is described. The EU attitude formation can be understood by studying national bureaucratic responses to particular mode of governance in which dynamics of domestic intergroups tend to shape the attitudes of bureaucrats and politicians.

Objectives: Aging is associated with deterioration in health and well-being, but previous research suggests that this can be attenuated by maintaining group memberships and the valued social identities associated with them. In this regard, religious identification may be especially beneficial in helping individuals withstand the challenges of aging, partly because religious identity serves as a basis for a wider social network of other group memberships. This paper aims to examine relationships between religion (identification and group membership) and well-being among older adults. The contribution of having and maintaining multiple group memberships in mediating these relationships is assessed, and also compared to patterns associated with other group memberships (social and exercise). Method: Study 1 (N = 42) surveyed older adults living in residential care homes in Canada, who completed measures of religious identity, other group memberships, and depression. Study 2 (N = 7021) longitudinally assessed older adults in the UK on similar measures, but with the addition of perceived physical health. Results: In Study 1, religious identification was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, and membership in multiple groups mediated that relationship. However, no relationships between social or exercise groups and mental health were evident. Study 2 replicated these patterns, but additionally, maintaining multiple group memberships over time partially mediated the relationship between religious group membership and physical health. Conclusion: Together these findings suggest that religious social networks are an especially valuable source of social capital among older adults, supporting well-being directly and by promoting additional group memberships (including those that are non-religious). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies were conducted examining the impact of framing on ingroup identification and allegiance in the context of international conflicts. The first study was carried out among British students at the beginning of the war in Afghanistan (N = 69). Perceptions of the war were manipulated by varying the frame that determined whether the war was perceived as positive and just or negative. Participants provided with a positive frame on the war identified more with their ingroup (Britain), and displayed higher allegiance to the United States than when given a negative frame. These findings were replicated in a second study conducted in the context of the second Iraq war (N = 51). Discussion focuses on the way in which framing affects perceptions of intergroup relations and the relationship between self, ingroup and out-group(s). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent research suggests that establishing water clubs in care homes can counteract the dangers of dehydration and enhance residents’ health and well-being. This study provided an experimental test of this idea, and also explored the possibility that it is the social interaction that clubs provide which delivers health-related benefits. Consistent with this hypothesis, the study found no evidence that, on its own, increased focus on water consumption enhanced residents’ health or well-being. However, residents who took part in water clubs showed improved levels of perceived social support, and those who participated in water and control clubs showed beneficial outcomes in terms of the number of General Practitioner calls they required. Consistent with a social identity approach to health and well-being, a mediation analysis also indicated that clubs achieve these positive outcomes by providing social support that helps to build a shared sense of social identity among residents. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We investigated the impact of cognitive deterioration and identity loss on well-being in older adults with dementia. We predicted that in addition to the negative effects that decline in cognitive ability has on dementia sufferers' well-being, there are also independent negative effects of identity loss. Participants (N = 48) were residents receiving standard care with mild dementia, residents receiving specialized care with severe dementia, and an age-matched community comparison group. Predictably, autobiographical memory and cognitive performance decreased linearly as a function of care level. Life satisfaction was lower for the standard care group with mild dementia than for the community sample, but, unexpectedly, life satisfaction was just as high for the severe dementia group receiving specialized care as for the community group. A similar U-shaped pattern was found in ratings of personal identity strength, and this mediated the life satisfaction effect. We conclude that amongst those suffering from dementia, loss of memory serves to compromise well-being primarily because it is associated with loss of identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited empirical evidence of the relationship between attributions following failure and subsequent task performance. Two studies manipulated the perceived controllability and stability of causes of initial task failure and explored the impact of these factors on perceptions of self-efficacy and follow-up performance. Consistent with previous attributional and social identity theorizing, an induced belief that failure was both beyond control and unlikely to change led to lower self-efficacy and worse performance, relative to conditions in which outcomes were believed to be controllable and/or unstable. These findings point to the resilience of beliefs in personal self-efficacy, but suggest that where opportunities for self-enhancement are precluded, personal self-belief will be compromised and performance will suffer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey study of patients recovering from stroke (N = 53) examined the extent to which belonging to multiple groups prior to stroke and the maintenance of those group memberships (as measured by the Exeter Identity Transitions Scales, EXITS) predicted well-being after stroke. Results of correlation analysis showed that life satisfaction was associated both with multiple group memberships prior to stroke and with the maintenance of group memberships. Path analysis indicated that belonging to multiple groups was associated with maintained well-being because there was a greater likelihood that some of those memberships would be preserved after stroke-related life transition. Furthermore, it was found that cognitive failures compromised well-being in part because they made it hard for individuals to maintain group memberships post-stroke. These findings highlight the importance of social identity continuity in facilitating well-being following stroke and, more broadly, show the theoretical contribution that a social identity approach to mental health can make in the context of neuropsychological rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]