Basking in reflected glory, cutting off reflected failure, and cutting off future failure: The importance of group identification

• Daniel L. Wann

  Murray State University

• Michael A. Hamlet

  Murray State University

• Tony M. Wilson

  Murray State University

• Joan A. Hodges

  Murray State University

Although a large amount of research has investigated the indirect impression management tactics of basking in reflected glory and cutting off reflected failure, none has investigated the potential importance of group identification. Study 1 of the current research tested the prediction that persons maintaining their association with an unsuccessful group would be higher in group identification than those not associating with the group. This prediction was supported. However, contrary to expectations, persons belonging to a successful group were less likely than those belonging to an unsuccessful group to publicly announce their association. It was believed that those identified with the successful group believed that the group may experience failure at a later date and thus, were more concerned about protecting their future ego than enhancing their current ego. This new impression management tactic, labeled cutting off future failure, was documented in Study 2. Discussion centers on the implications of the current research for past work on impression management.

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