An Investigation Of Factors Influencing Collective Action: Social Identity, Moral Tendency And Moral Emotion

Collective action (CA) is typically defined as any action enacted as arepresentative of the group, aimed at improving the group’s conditions (Wright,Taylor,&Moghaddam,1990). CA is becoming a major form of social movement.Recently, studies about CA mainly focus on its causes, effects and dynamics. Socialpsychological studies focus especially on dynamics. Previously, there were someclassical theories probed into CA through social identity, instrumental rationality,efficacy and (angry) emotions. The current study, combining with former studyexperience, introduced Social Identity Theory, the Five Moral Foundations Theory,Moral Emotion Theory to explore the potential dynamic of Chinese CA on the backgrounds of social identity and morality, with the key points of individual’s moraltendency and its matching with the CA type.The current study chose three major psychological variables, with social identityand morality as independent variables, with moral emotions as mediating variables,with two types (“preventing something that was immoral” and “helping somethingthat was moral”) and two levels (attitudinal and behavioral) of CA as dependentvariables, followed the research logic that social identity and moral tendency couldpredict CA simultaneously, in addition, this prediction was mediated by moralemotions.The current study randomly chose80students of Jilin University to participate inthe experiment. Firstly, using the Moral Foundations Questionnaire and theThree-factors Model of Social Identity Scale to evaluate participants moral tendencyand social identity level; Secondly, adopting single-blind design, using a balance ballgame as a media to arouse participants moral emotions by the cooperation of theexperimenter and the assistant (false participant); Thirdly, using the software, E-prime2.0, to evaluate and record the participants’ moral emotions levels and the attitudinal tendencies of CA; Finally, using the spot donations to evaluate the participants’behavioral tendencies of CA.In conclusion,1) social identity and moral tendency predicted an individual’sattitudinal tendency of CA, as the social identity level raised, the attitudinal tendencyof CA raised, particularly when the individual’s moral tendency matched to the CAtype;2) the relation among the variables above was mediated by moral emotions(self-conscious emotions, shame, guilt and embarrassment), particularly when anindividual’s moral tendency matched to the CA type, as the social identity level wentup, the individual’s experienced stronger self-conscious emotions, thus he/she showeda stronger willingness to participate in the CA.