Is There an "I" in "Team"? The Role of the Self in Group-Serving Judgments

Why do people make judgments that favor their groups, attributing outcomes to internal factors to a greater extent when their group succeeds than when their group fails? The present research demonstrates that group-serving judgments serve a self-protective function. In Study 1, participants in team...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personality and social psychology 2005-01, Vol.88 (1), p.108-120
Main Authors: Sherman, David K, Kim, Heejung S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Athletes
Attribution
Biological and medical sciences
Ego
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Group Dynamics
Human
Humans
Judgment
Judgment - physiology
Male
Peer Group
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Self Concept
Social Identification
Social interactions. Communication. Group processes
Social Perception
Social psychology
Sports
Sports - psychology
Students - psychology
Teams
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Summary:Why do people make judgments that favor their groups, attributing outcomes to internal factors to a greater extent when their group succeeds than when their group fails? The present research demonstrates that group-serving judgments serve a self-protective function. In Study 1, participants in team sports competitions made more internal team attributions after experiencing victory than defeat; this group-serving bias was eliminated among those who completed an affirmation of personal values. Study 2 replicated Study 1 and found that affirmed people were less likely to use their self-judgments as an anchor for judgments about the group. Study 2 also found that self-affirmation secured feelings of being a worthy group member, and this was associated with the reduction of group-serving judgments. The present research examines the motivational factors that promote, reduce, link, and separate self-serving and group-serving judgments.
ISSN:0022-3514
1939-1315
DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.88.1.108