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Group Processes
Psychosocial Effects of Perceived Emotional Synchrony in Collective Gatherings
--Manuscript Draft-Manuscript Number:
PSP-I-2014-0075R1
Full Title:
Abstract:
In a classic theory, Durkheim's (1912) predicted that due to the social sharing of
emotion they generate, collective gatherings bring participants to a stage of collective
effervescence in which they experience a sense of union with others and a feeling of
empowerment accompanied by positive affect. This would lead them to leave the
collective situation with a renewed sense of confidence in life and in social institutions.
A century after Durkheim's predictions of these effects had remained untested as a
whole. This article reports four studies, two correlational, one semi-longitudinal and one
experimental, assessing the positive effects of participation in either positively (folkloric
marches) or negatively (protest demonstrations) valenced collective gatherings.
Results confirmed that collective gatherings consistently strengthened social
identification and social integration, enhanced personal and collective self-esteem and
efficacy, positive affect, as well as positive social beliefs among participants. In line
with a central tenet of the theory, emotional communion or perceived emotional
synchrony with others mediated these effects. Higher perceived emotional synchrony
was associated with stronger emotional reactions, stronger social support and higher
endorsement of social beliefs and values. Participation in symbolic collective
gatherings also reinforced fusion of identity particularly when perceived emotional
synchrony was high. The respective contribution of perceived emotional synchrony and
flow, or optimal experience, was also assessed. Whereas perceived emotional
synchrony emerged as strongly related to the various social outcomes, flow was
observed to be related first and foremost to positive affect and thus to encompass
mainly positive individual affective effects.
Article Type:
Article
Keywords:
Corresponding Author:
Anna Wlodarczyk
University of the Basque Country
San Sebastin, SPAIN
anna.wlodarczyk@ehu.es;annawl@hotmail.com
Other Authors:
Author Comments:
Dear Dr Leach,
Please find enclosed our manuscript previously submitted under the reference PSP-I2014-0075, and which has now been revised as you kindly suggested in your e-mail
dated June 6th, 2014.
The manuscript is now entitled "Psychosocial effects of Perceived Emotional
Synchrony in Collective Gatherings"
We would like to thank you and the three reviewers for the interest expressed about
our previous manuscript and for the generous comments and suggestions you all
Powered by Editorial Manager and ProduXion Manager from Aries Systems Corporation
made.
In the document attached with this e mail, for the sake of readability, we reproduce in
blue font and italics all the comments by you and the reviewers, and we address in
regular font each of the issues raised. In addition we use red font for quotations of our
text.
As you will note, we agreed with virtually all the comments raised by the reviewers, and
we have incorporated their suggestions in the new manuscript.
Sincerely,
Dario Paez, Bernard Rim, Nekane Basabe, Anna Wlodarczyk and Larraitz Zumeta
Corresponding Author's Secondary
Institution:
First Author:
SPAIN
Suggested Reviewers:
Opposed Reviewers:
Order of Authors:
Manuscript Classifications:
Powered by Editorial Manager and ProduXion Manager from Aries Systems Corporation
Dario Pez1, Bernard Rim2, Nekane Basabe3, Anna Wlodarczyk4 & Larraitz Zumeta5
University of Louvain
Place Cardinal Mercier, 10. 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Telephone: +32-(0)10-474036
Fax: +32-(0)10-474836
E-mail: bernard.rime@uclouvain.be
Abstract
In a classic theory, Durkheim's (1912) predicted that due to the social sharing of
emotion they generate, collective gatherings bring participants to a stage of collective
effervescence in which they experience a sense of union with others and a feeling of
empowerment accompanied by positive affect. This would lead them to leave the
collective situation with a renewed sense of confidence in life and in social institutions.
A century after Durkheim's predictions of these effects had remained untested as a
whole. This article reports four studies, two correlational, one semi-longitudinal and one
experimental, assessing the positive effects of participation in either positively (folkloric
marches) or negatively (protest demonstrations) valenced collective gatherings. Results
confirmed that collective gatherings consistently strengthened social identification and
social integration, enhanced personal and collective self-esteem and efficacy, positive
affect, as well as positive social beliefs among participants. In line with a central tenet
of the theory, emotional communion or perceived emotional synchrony with others
mediated these effects. Higher perceived emotional synchrony was associated with
stronger emotional reactions, stronger social support and higher endorsement of social
beliefs and values. Participation in symbolic collective gatherings also reinforced fusion
of identity particularly when perceived emotional synchrony was high. The respective
contribution of perceived emotional synchrony and flow, or optimal experience, was
also assessed. Whereas perceived emotional synchrony emerged as strongly related to
Social Integration
Self-Esteem
Positive Affect
Negative Affect
Beliefs - Benevolence
Beliefs - Justice
N = 93
N = 93
5.21
4.71
SD 1.04
0.83
5.62
5.19
SD 0.88
0.86
5.39
4.63
SD 1.06
1.05
2.55
2.82
SD 1.26
1.27
4.45
3.78
SD 1.10
0.93
3.88
3.33
SD 1.09
0.87
F(184) p
13.39 .000
11.64 .001
24.59 .000
2.09 .150
20.05 .000
14.67 .000
N = 47
M 4.70
5.71
SD 0.98
0.83
M 5.54
5.70
SD 0.93
0.83
M 5.21
5.57
SD 0.97
1.11
M 2.45
2.65
SD 1.12
1.40
4.68
SD 0.96
1.20
M 3.59
4.17
SD 0.92
1.18
Self-Esteem
Positive Affect
Negative Affect
Beliefs Justice
F(91) p
29.13 .000
0.81 .371
2.75 .101
0.58 .448
4.24 .042
6.98 .010
Note. Median split (5) was used to divide participants into low and high PES groups.
Happiness Index
Positive Emotions
Negative Emotions
Social Support
Collective Efficacy
Fusion of Identity
Social Beliefs
Low PES
High PES
N = 165
N = 154
(1,314)
p<
33.49
.001
180.61
.001
4.58
.033
35.73
.001
25.91
.001
21.77
.001
12.3
.001
M 5.66
6.32
SD 1.34
1.15
M 3.56
4.31
SD .55
.45
M 1.31
1.22
SD .42
.28
M 5.18
5.77
SD 1.01
.91
M 7.06
8.91
SD 1.83
1.47
M 3.84
4.17
SD 1.15
0.92
M 3.44
3.67
SD 0.56
0.54
Note. Median split (5.44) was used to divide participants into low and high PES
groups.
Fusion of Identity
Fusion of identity with group (Study 4)
r(42) = .34**
Social Integration
Social integration (Study 1)
r(186) = .26**
r(238) = .02
Positive Affect
Weighted r = .34
r(186) = .34**
r(238) = .35**
Empowerment
Weighted r = .26
r(186) = .24**
r(42) = .35**
Weighted r = .35
r(186) = .32**
Values (Study 3)
r(132) = .40**
Fusion of Identity
Weighted r = .56
r(319) = .56**
r(21) = .54**
Social Integration
Weighted r = .34
r(93) = .49**
r(319) = .37**
r(132) = .34**
r(93) = .17*
r(319) = .35**
r(319) = .71**
r(132) = .37**
Empowerment
Weighted r = .27
r(132) = .19*
r(21) = .28+
Weighted r = .21
r(93) = .26*
r(319) = .19**
Values (Study 3)
r(78) = .22*
Note: Non standardized regression coefficients are presented. Numbers in parentheses refer to
the beta after the mediators were added to the regression equation (direct effect); + p < .06, *p
< .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.
Note: Non standardized regression coefficients are presented. Numbers in parentheses refer to
the beta after the mediators were added to the regression equation (direct effect); *p < .05, **p
< .01, ***p < .001.