Definition
In psychology, collective action is commonly defined as any action undertaken by an individual as a representative of the group and aimed at improving the conditions of the group as a whole (Wright, Taylor, & Moghaddam, 1990; also see Van Zomeren & Iyer, 2009). As such collective action typically aims at achieving some kind of social change. The social identity model of collective action (SIMCA; Van Zomeren, Postmes, & Spears, 2008) offers an encompassing psychological model that outlines different motivations for participation in collective action. The model offers a prominent role to individuals’ social identity (i.e., that part of one’s identity defined by membership in a social group), which is argued to underlie individuals’ experience of group-based anger about the negative conditions of the group and their group efficacybeliefs to achieve a positive change in the group’s conditions. In turn, all three variables uniquely predict collective action. Social identity is...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Cakal, H., Hewstone, M., Schwär, G., & Heath, A. (2011). An investigation of the social identity model of collective action and the 'sedative' effect of intergroup contact among Black and White students in South Africa. British Journal of Social Psychology, 50, 606–627.
Klandermans, B. (1984). Mobilisation and participation: Social-psychological expansions of resource mobilisation theory. American Sociological Review, 49, 583–600.
Klandermans, B. (1997). The social psychology of protest. Oxford: Basic Blackwell.
Klandermans, B., Van der Toorn, J., & Van Stekelenburg, J. (2008). Embeddedness and identity: How immigrants turn grievances into action. American Sociological Review, 73, 992–1012.
LeBon, G. (1896). The crowd: A study of the popular mind. London: Unwin.
Miller, D. A., Cronin, T., Garcia, A. L., & Branscombe, N. R. (2009). The relative impact of anger and efficacy on collective action is affected by feelings of fear. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 12, 445–462.
Olson, M. (1968). The logic of collective action. Public goods and the theory of groups. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Runciman, W. G. (1966). Relative deprivation and social justice: A study of attitudes to social inequality in twentieth-century England. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Simon, B., Loewy, M., Stürmer, S., Weber, U., Freytag, P., Habig, C., et al. (1998). Collective identification and social movement participation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 646–658.
Skitka, L. J., Bauman, C. W., & Sargis, E. G. (2005). Moral conviction: Another contributor to attitude strength or something more? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 895–917.
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of inter-group conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of inter-group relations (pp. 33–47). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Turner, J. C., Hogg, M. A., Oakes, P. J., Reicher, S. D., & Wetherell, M. S. (1987). Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization perspective. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Van Stekelenburg, J., Klandermans, B., & Van Dijk, W. W. (2009). Context matters: Explaining how and why mobilizing context influences motivational dynamics. Journal of Social Issues, 65, 815–838.
Van Zomeren, M., & Iyer, A. (2009). Toward integrative understanding of the social and psychological dynamics of collective action. Journal of Social Issues, 65, 645–660.
Van Zomeren, M., Leach, C. W., & Spears, R. (2010). Does group efficacy increase group identification? Resolving their paradoxical relationship. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 1055–1060.
Van Zomeren, M., Postmes, T., & Spears, R. (2008). Toward an integrative social identity model of collective action: A quantitative research synthesis of three socio-psychological perspectives. Psychological Bulletin, 134, 504–535.
Van Zomeren, M., Postmes, T., & Spears, R. (2012). On conviction's collective consequences: Integrating moral conviction with the social identity model of collective action. British Journal of Social Psychology, 51, 52–71.
Van Zomeren, M., Postmes, T., Spears, R., & Bettache, K. (2011). Can moral convictions motivate the advantaged to challenge social inequality? Extending the social identity model of collective action. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 14, 735–753.
Van Zomeren, M., & Spears, R. (2009). Metaphors of protest: A classification of motivations for collective action. Journal of Social Issues, 65, 661–680.
Walker, I., & Smith, H. J. (2002). Relative deprivation: Specification, development, and integration. Cambridge: University Press.
Wright, S. C., Taylor, D. M., & Moghaddam, F. M. (1990). Responding to membership in a disadvantaged group: From acceptance to collective protest. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 994–1003.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
van Zomeren, M. (2014). Collective Action. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_433
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_433
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0752-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0753-5
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law