Cruwys et a 219 Table I.Depression-Specific Hypotheses Derived From the Social ldentity Approach. Is of dep H3.The benefit of oup membership for depression symptoms will be moderated by relevant normative content ve in tors of social relations ships will be better pred of depr ymptoms than objective indicator H.Social inte tions for tent th cated in depression 1999:Phinney.Cantu.Kurtz.1997:Wann Branscomb Therefore.in addition to the a tion of how stronely 1990).This,then,is the basis for an initial hypothesis regard- pe rson identifies with a group,and how many groups they ing depression: identify with,to predict the implications of mental Hypothesis 1(H1):Social identification with meaningful ttend to the ups will predict lower levels of depression. the nature and basis of social identification).Accordingly third hypothesis is as follows: Fo ple,as well as being a member of a recreational football mative conten team,Jane may be a psychologist,a mother,a churchgoer and Ins r as each of these socia identitie Key Premise 2:Individuals'Self-Concept and se.and direction.cach can make a unigu and no Social Behavior Are Structured by Perceived contribution to mental health(tt,Hasam Social Relationships Has rch has sho n that,as well as having the i m, poor gene lack me Postmes.&Haslam.2009:Jetten.Haslam.Iyer.&Haslam. 2009).This therefore leads to a second hypothesis: and observation context incr ou con denc the link is real, important,and causa of the in which the life depression. connections,degree of contact,actual support)are represented qul,the process of s ing on John were a prof and only playing SIA is that,in the case of groups,other things are often no connected to his teammates.However,another player,James rs,Haslam,2010;Tajfel Tu outonaplace n the m very not the c identiti On the contrary.there is evidence that.at times.groups can ing one e might say that John(but not James)is amember of the be harmful and impede recovery(Crabtree,Haslam,Postmes football team.However,psycho logically speaking,it is James &Haslm,300nEelL20o:HeesoaCoh (but not hn)who ide the m,anc is this pro 2011.h des ntal healt vehicles for self-definition and social influence Turne outcomes associated with being a member of the team should 991),strong identification with a group that is negatively be more apparent for James than for John,despite the former's enined (e.g.,stigm ial group men heing a fo al tean member might might be apeer group with norms that drug-taking increase the likelihood that social identification is present or self-harm wher the shared it is only ever a crude indicator of individu actors'psy Hill,Borland.2001) on the soc he 30 Cruwys et al. 219 1999; Phinney, Cantu, & Kurtz, 1997; Wann & Branscombe, 1990). This, then, is the basis for an initial hypothesis regard￾ing depression: Hypothesis 1 (H1): Social identification with meaningful groups will predict lower levels of depression. Yet, although any particular social identity has the capac￾ity to be a valuable psychological resource, it is also the case that such identities are rarely mutually exclusive. For exam￾ple, as well as being a member of a recreational football team, Jane may be a psychologist, a mother, a churchgoer, and an Australian. Insofar as each of these social identities has the capacity to provide a person with a sense of meaning, purpose, and direction, each can make a unique and poten￾tially additive contribution to mental health (Jetten, Haslam, Haslam, Dingle, & Jones, 2014; Jones & Jetten, 2011; Ysseldyk, Haslam, & Haslam, 2013). This is particularly true if the identities are compatible (Iyer, Jetten, Tsivrikos, Postmes, & Haslam, 2009; Jetten, Haslam, Iyer, & Haslam, 2009). This therefore leads to a second hypothesis: Hypothesis 2 (H2): Social identification with a greater number of meaningful groups will predict lower levels of depression. Other things being equal, the process of seeing oneself as a member of a valued group (or groups) should generally be beneficial to health. However, a fundamental insight of the SIA is that, in the case of groups, other things are often not equal (S. Reicher, Spears, & Haslam, 2010; Tajfel & Turner, 1979). Accordingly, it is not the case that all social identities are beneficial as a basis for preventing or treating depression. On the contrary, there is evidence that, at times, groups can be harmful and impede recovery (Crabtree, Haslam, Postmes, & Haslam, 2010; Finfgeld, 2000; Helgeson, Cohen, Schulz, & Yasko, 2000; see also Molero, Fuster, Jetten, & Moriano, 2011). In particular, because social identities are powerful vehicles for self-definition and social influence (Turner, 1991), strong identification with a group that is negatively defined (e.g., stigmatized) or whose identity incorporates damaging norms and practices (e.g., anti-social behavior) has the potential to increase health vulnerability. Examples might be a peer group with norms that encourage drug-taking or self-harm—where the shared behavior on which group membership is based is itself deleterious to mental health (Schofield, Pattison, Hill, & Borland, 2001). Therefore, in addition to the question of how strongly a person identifies with a group, and how many groups they identify with, to predict the implications of internalized group memberships for a person’s mental health, it is also critical to attend to the content of those social identities (i.e., the nature and basis of social identification). Accordingly, a third hypothesis is as follows: Hypothesis 3 (H3): The benefit of group membership for depression symptoms will be moderated by relevant nor￾mative content. Key Premise 2: Individuals’ Self-Concept and Social Behavior Are Structured by Perceived Social Relationships A large body of research has shown that, as well as having poor general health, individuals who lack meaningful social relationships are far more prone to depression. The fact that this relationship is robust to differences in researcher perspec￾tive, sample population, and observation context increases our confidence that the link is real, important, and causal. What the SIA offers that goes beyond other models is a specification of the way in which the realities of social life (e.g., number of connections, degree of contact, actual support) are represented psychologically and internalized by perceivers. For example, if John were a professional footballer and only playing with his teammates for financial incentive, he might play on his football team without particularly valuing the team or feeling connected to his teammates. However, another player, James, might miss out on a place in the team but attend training every week, avidly supporting the team, and valuing both the foot￾ball community and his place within it. Sociologically speak￾ing, one might say that John (but not James) is a member of the football team. However, psychologically speaking, it is James (but not John) who identifies with the team, and it is this pro￾cess of identification that is critical in shaping behavior, atti￾tudes, and self-concept. As a result, any mental health outcomes associated with being a member of the team should be more apparent for James than for John, despite the former’s lack of official group member status. The point here, then, is that although objective group membership (e.g., being a formal team member) might increase the likelihood that social identification is present, it is only ever a crude indicator of individual actors’ psy￾chological perspective on the social world. To ascertain individuals’ social connectedness, the most relevant social Table 1. Depression-Specific Hypotheses Derived From the Social Identity Approach. H1. Social identification with meaningful groups will predict lower levels of depression. H2. Social identification with a greater number of meaningful groups will predict lower levels of depression. H3. The benefit of group membership for depression symptoms will be moderated by relevant normative content. H4. Subjective indicators of social relationships will be better predictors of depressive symptoms than objective indicators. H5. Social identification will determine the impact of the various social factors (e.g., social support) that are implicated in depression. H6. Social interventions for depression will be more effective to the extent that they increase social identification. Downloaded from psr.sagepub.com at Remen University of China on September 6, 2015