Us versus Them: The Roles of Organizational Identification and Disidentification in Social Marketing Initiatives

Abstract

Whereas organizational identification is defined as a cognitive connection between a person and an organization, disidentification is defined as a sense of separateness. The authors conducted a mail survey to compare the attitudes and behaviors of people who identify or disidentify with the National Rifle Association or view it in a neutral fashion. The results show that whereas identification is related to people's personal experiences, disidentification is related to their values surrounding the organization. Moreover, although both identifiers and disidentifiers talk, only identifiers take action.