Social Identity Moderates the Effects of Team-Referent Attributions on Collective Efficacy but Not Emotions

Abstract

Team-referent attributions are associated with collective efficacy and emotions (Allen et al. 2009). However, the contextual factors in which these attributions are formulated have been largely ignored. Therefore, the current research was designed to examine whether social identity could moderate the way individuals think about their team-referent attributions. Across two studies (cross-sectional and longitudinal), the moderating role that social identity has on these relationships was examined. In study 1, athletes (N = 227) on sport teams (K = 30) completed questionnaires assessing social identity, attributions for their team’s most recent performance (team-referent attributions), collective efficacy and emotions. Multilevel linear models revealed that social identity moderated the relationships between team-referent attributions and collective efficacy after team defeat. In Study 2, American football team players (N = 43) completed measures of collective efficacy before each game and social identity and attributions after each game. Multilevel linear models revealed that, after a team victory, social identity moderated the relationships between post-game team-referent attributions and subsequent pre-game collective efficacy. Results also indicated that the relationship between controllability and collective efficacy varied at different levels of social identity across the entire season. The results of these studies extend attribution theory by demonstrating that the relationships between team-referent attributions and collective efficacy might be moderated by social identity. Future studies may look to implement interventions aimed at maximizing collective efficacy through attribution retraining strategies while also encouraging the development of social identity