Identity Management Strategies: Research On Coping Mechanism Of Disadvantaged Group Members

Identity Management Strategies are defined as the coping strategies disadvantaged Group Members adopt, when they are confronted with inferior status and threatened by the negative social identity. The researches on Identity Management Strategies place emphasis on how disadvantaged Group Members coping with the negative social identity, and how factors of personality, context, belief and group influence the the identity management strategies by disadvantaged group members. It contributes to understanding intergroup relation and behavior, as well as maintaining harmony between groups.Directed by the Social Identity Theory, Five-Stages Model and System Justification theory, the current study investigated how factors of individual characteristics, group characteristics and context influence the identity management strategies by disadvantaged group members. The subjects are minimal-group members in a laboratory context and real-life group memberships (vocational high school students).The conclusions are the following:(1) Effects of individual characteristics factors on identity management strategies.Individual strategy and acceptance strategy was preferred by group member with field-independent cognitive style, and collective strategy were preferred by group member with field-dependent cognitive style. Individual strategy was preferred by group member with weak belief in fate, acceptance strategy was preferred by group member with strong belief in fate.(2) Effects of context factor on identity management strategies.When access to the advantaged group was open, people preferred individual strategy; when access to the advantaged group was restricted, people preferred collective strategy and acceptance strategy. When the advantaged group members were perceived arrogant, people preferred collective strategy and acceptance strategy; when the advantaged group members were perceived friendly, people preferred individual strategy. When the disadvantaged group performed well, people preferred collective strategy; when the disadvantaged group performed badlly, people preferred individual strategy and acceptance strategy(3) Effect of group characteristics factors on identity management strategies.Entitativity, cognitive in-group identification and affective in-group identification have direct impacts on identity management strategies by disadvantaged group members. While cognitive in-group identification and affective in-group identification can be regarded as powerful mediators between perceived entitativity and identity management strategies. (4) Questionaire development of identity management strategiesThe results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis show the questionnaire of identity management strategies has acceptable psycho-metric properties. Cronbanch's a coefficients of the questionnaire is 0.720. It is composed by individual strategy, collective strategy and acceptance strategy. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that this questionnaire has high construct validity.The results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis show the revision of belong need scale, destination belief scale and group identity scale have acceptable psycho-metric properties. Cronbanch's a coefficients of three scale respectively is Cronbanch's a coefficients of 0.734, 0.770, 0.868. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that three scales have high construct validity.(5) Characteristics and developing trend of identity management strategies by vocational high school students.When vocational high school students move forward from grade 1 to grad 3, their preference for individual strategy gradually increase, but their preference for acceptance strategy gradually decrease. Individual strategy was preferred by vocational high school students with job experience. No gender difference is found among the vocational high school students.