The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony
- Downloads：2004
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-27 11:21:20
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Dominic J Packer
- ISBN：154919402X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Fotini Iconomopoulos
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Was recommended to me as I love a good psychology book。 An informative and entertaining read。
Leslie John
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In The Power of Us， Dr。 Dominic Packer and Dr。 Jay Van Bavel offer a fascinating， science-backed take on the facets of who you are。 Great story-telling too！
Zoe
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This is NOT a textbook， but it teaches you the fundamentals of social psychology and covers the most famous experiments。 Up to date， with great stories that will make you laugh， make you mad， and make you wonder。 My favorite was the Puma-Adidas rivalry。 What！
Chris Boutté
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This year has produced so many amazing books， and 2021 just keeps delivering。 Jay and Dominic were kind enough to send me an early copy of this book， and I can’t even begin to explain how fantastic it is。 From the introduction of the book， I was hooked because although I’ve read plenty of social psychology books around how we interact with one another， this one took a completely unique angle on the topic。 The authors are researchers and they became really interested in how our individual and sha This year has produced so many amazing books， and 2021 just keeps delivering。 Jay and Dominic were kind enough to send me an early copy of this book， and I can’t even begin to explain how fantastic it is。 From the introduction of the book， I was hooked because although I’ve read plenty of social psychology books around how we interact with one another， this one took a completely unique angle on the topic。 The authors are researchers and they became really interested in how our individual and shared identities play a major role in our lives and how we behave in groups。 To set the foundation， they start by explaining the research behind minimal group paradigm， which really highlights how it doesn’t take much for us to form ingroups and outgroups。 If you’re interested in this topic， you’ll come across some familiar research， but Van Bavel and Packer have done a ton of their own studies。 Not only have they conducted their own research， but they also notice interesting findings from famous studies like the Milgrim experiments that others haven’t recognized。 The research and communication of the meanings and findings are top notch， but I personally think my favorite part is how this book is structured。 This year， I’ve read over 260 non-fiction books， and this is the first one where I said， “Wow。 This book’s chapters build on top of one another perfectly。” As I was reading， I was thinking about how all of the research can possibly explain real-world scenarios， and the authors end up creating a path straight to that destination。 After building a great foundation， they then discuss many social issues we’re experiencing today such as political polarization， the BLM protests of 2020， police violence， and so much more。 The Power of Us stands out as a book that everyone from academics， to politicians， to average citizens need to read。 We can either deny that we evolved in a way that can divide us， or we can accept the science， recognize issues， and work towards solutions together。 。。。more
Dolly
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I am reading an advance copy of The Power of Us and loving it！ If you like reading about psychology and society， this is the book for you。 Many great insights and unexpectedly， very funny stories。
Todd Kashdan
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Much has been said about increasing group polarization in the media and public discourse。 However， this conversation is often superficial， failing to detail the complexity of being a person with multiple identities。 Drs。 Jay Van Bavel and Dominic Packer provide an entertaining， comprehensive resource about the groups that we belong to， want to belong to， are proud to belong to， and what the psychological consequences are of dissecting the world as relevant， irrelevant， or in opposition to these Much has been said about increasing group polarization in the media and public discourse。 However， this conversation is often superficial， failing to detail the complexity of being a person with multiple identities。 Drs。 Jay Van Bavel and Dominic Packer provide an entertaining， comprehensive resource about the groups that we belong to， want to belong to， are proud to belong to， and what the psychological consequences are of dissecting the world as relevant， irrelevant， or in opposition to these group memberships。 If you take an interest in psychology， you will be more than satisfied。 There are hundreds of studies in this book。 You might be familiar with several of them （Milgram's obedience research， Asch's conformity research， Zimbardo's Stanford prison study） but expect new， illuminating insights。 Other studies have yet to be exposed to the general public until now。 If you are interested in self-improvement， you will find a great deal to ponder。 The most powerful point of this book is that thoughts， feelings， sensory experiences， motivations， behavior， and strivings are heavily influenced by group memberships that are important to you and activated。 As someone who lives in an individualistic country， where a person's personality is of paramount importance， there is great value in discovering the intricacies of identity。 Yes， each of us has a profile of personality traits that influence what we do next。 A large number of psychology books exist on grit， courage， creativity， honesty， gratitude， kindness， sociability， psychopathy， narcissism， and dozens of other personality traits。 Too few books have been written about how our social identity plays a role above and beyond personality in producing desirable and undesirable outcomes。 You will fly through the 276 pages with a revised perspective of who you are and want to become。 。。。more
Kelly
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Overall， this is a pretty basic rundown of the psychology of group identity。 Although the subtitle gives the impression that this is predominantly a self-help book， that aspect is relegated to an afterthought—the book is mostly a catalogue of various psychological experiments run on university undergraduates over the last fifty years or so。 There’s no getting around the fact that we’re experiencing a cataclysmic failure to align our group identities for the greater good （i。e。， QAnon， Trumpism， i Overall， this is a pretty basic rundown of the psychology of group identity。 Although the subtitle gives the impression that this is predominantly a self-help book， that aspect is relegated to an afterthought—the book is mostly a catalogue of various psychological experiments run on university undergraduates over the last fifty years or so。 There’s no getting around the fact that we’re experiencing a cataclysmic failure to align our group identities for the greater good （i。e。， QAnon， Trumpism， insurrection）， and the authors do touch on this to some degree， but the insight they bring isn’t particularly novel。 The siren song of group dynamics is hardly a mystery， and it’s not as if your average person needs ironclad scientific data to be persuaded that peer pressure is real。 Even so， this book is an interesting and focused read。 While there are other aspects to identity that may be more fundamental to our sense of self （memory， for example）， it’s helpful to quantify the degree to which our associations color our perceptions of reality。 The takeaway seems to be that we can—should we choose to do so—use the power of group identity to persuade those around us to be more kind， productive， and harmonious。 。。。more
Vanessa Bohns
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Entertainingly written， rigorously researched， and practical， this book will make you think differently about what identity really means。
David Wineberg
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The Power of Us is a new book on how identifying with a group – any group – bestows attitudes that individuals alone don’t demonstrate。 Jay Van Bavel and Dominic Packer are newly minted Phds in psychology。 This is their first book and it is filled with stories about identifying with a group and how that changes everything， starting with one’s own identity。It shows that in an absolute blizzard of circumstances， there is power in identifying with a group。 In anecdote after anecdote， story after st The Power of Us is a new book on how identifying with a group – any group – bestows attitudes that individuals alone don’t demonstrate。 Jay Van Bavel and Dominic Packer are newly minted Phds in psychology。 This is their first book and it is filled with stories about identifying with a group and how that changes everything， starting with one’s own identity。It shows that in an absolute blizzard of circumstances， there is power in identifying with a group。 In anecdote after anecdote， story after story， study after study。 In every case， when individuals identify with a group， even just a randomly assigned or totally nonexistent group， the results change。 Group identity changes people， sometimes beneficially， sometimes fearsomely。 That’s the point。 Sadly， it is the only one they make。For example， when the home team wins， everyone is in a better， more generous mood the next day。 People who don’t even care might wear team colors or a team cap。 In a study about distributing money， telling someone they are on the green team， and that their partner in the study is too， results in higher generosity， even though they’ve never even met。 People thrown into emergencies suddenly become part of the same group （victims）， and help each other like they probably would never do if they were just passing by on the bus。 They’d be in a different group， you see。There are nearly 300 pages of such examples， many of them recent and well known。 As I read， I would think - oh I remember that。 Like when a Minnesota woman， Dorothy Martin， declared The Rapture was upon us （May 1954）。 On her given day， the world would end and only those physically with her and approved by her would be saved – transported away in a flying saucer provided by God。 Remember that？ When it didn’t quite work out， she said God spoke to her the next morning and told her he was so pleased with her followers’ response that he cancelled the destruction of Earth。 They apparently all went home and called the media to tell them the great news。 To the authors， this is evidence of group identity being far more powerful than individuals acting alone。 People can suppress common sense， allow lies to propagate， and falsehoods to reign if they’re in a group。 That’s the power of us。But they’re just stories without applications。 They chain endlessly， but to no discernible point:Psychologists found that putting a Christian on a Muslim football team in Iraq led to a lessening of hatred and prejudice。 They tried it the other way， and that worked too！ Teamwork melted the ice。 Just like in a heartwarming Hollywood movie。 I think everyone knows this， thanks。There are studies that show sports fans will help someone wearing a team article before they would help one wearing another team’s stuff。 There are studies that show supporters of one political party will not associate with members of the other party。 That （US） Republicans believe misinformation， fake news and conspiracies far more easily than Democrats。 They also believed the pandemic was a hoax by either the Chinese or the Democrats （or both）， that the vaccine is to be avoided and that Trump won the election。 Because that’s what their group says。 The country’s founders worked hard to avoid fostering political parties precisely because they knew this would happen， 300 years ago。 There would be favoritism， bias， prejudice， pigheadedness， stalemates， corruption and gridlock if political parties took hold。 So no discovery there either， I’m afraid。Same goes for the psych studies cited。 In one， a single person is told s/he is on the A team。 That’s all she knows about anyone else there。 So naturally， she will be biased in her responses in favor of the A team， because it’s the only hook she’s got going for her。 People gravitate to identity and identifying with something larger than themselves。 Anything。 It affects their behavior in favor of the group because they want and need to belong。 They want to show they get it， they’re with the program and are worthy of the group。 This is no discovery at all。That is the level of sophistication of all of the content: old hat。 As I read about people identifying with one team or another， one employer or another， one political party or another， my reaction was yes， everybody knows that。 What are the authors going to do with that information？ The answer is nothing。 It’s just a collection of stories segregated by type of group: political， social， racial， religious， sporting and so on。I had a great deal of trouble with the selectivity in this book。 The authors cherry-picked studies to prove their （one） point， ignoring all else to the contrary。 And it’s all very top line。 Sometimes， their research is so superficial they rely on debunked studies。For example， the tiresome Stanley Milgram studies， where subjects were told to administer shocks to people who answered incorrectly。 Milgram’s own notes show it was a sham。 Well over half the participants quit outright， and half those remaining continued only because they figured out it was phony; there was no shock being administered。 They could turn the dial up to 11 and no one would be hurt。 But Van Bavel and Packer rely on it in two different chapters， even though （ironically） they worry there is an issue with it because after 60 years， no other studies have been able to replicate the results！ Hmmm。The same goes for the IAT， the notorious Harvard online test to show individuals how racially prejudiced they are。 It always seems to show everyone who takes the test is far more prejudiced than they thought。 But people who take the test over get wildly different results - every time。 It has been shown definitively to be undependable and inaccurate。 But the authors cite it as if it were valid。In psych studies with teams， it was clear that a team of four complete strangers could achieve more than an individual alone， despite monetary rewards and music to encourage them。 So teams are the way to go then！ But the authors don’t say how to apply this marvelous discovery。 They never researched how many should be on the team to optimize the results。 Four works。 Is eight better still？ How about 25？ Or three？Had they tried， they would likely have found what everyone who has ever worked in a bureaucracy well knows — teams suck。 It might be fine in a study with four total strangers in a one-off exercise， but when they are co-workers， personalities， ambitions and history outmaneuver any value the team might have。 And it never ends。 Committees are a disaster: just look at Congress。 Ordinary teams get little done。 Arguments， vetoes， laziness， incompetence， hidden agendas and stubbornness run rampant。 Ask people in a company about the ideal size of a team （ie。 greater than one person） and they will tell you straight out: two。 There are lots of examples of people helping each other in a disaster， suddenly finding themselves in the same group （victims）， but there appear to be at least as many of looting in disasters。 How does that fit the theory？ People can protest peacefully， but how many protests end up in vandalism and pillaging？ Do the people on these teams identify with crime？ The authors don’t say。 How can we leverage the team spirit of total strangers under their time constraints？ No words of wisdom in this book; it is a glass half full kind of analysis。Then， unaccountably， the concluding chapters are about leadership， both corporate and political。 Oh， and climate change。 Absolutely nothing in the book prepares the reader for these concluding remarks。 Out of the blue there are stories of Mahatma Gandhi， Mary Robinson， Winston Churchill， Nelson Mandela， Jacinda Ardern and Lyndon Johnson， with descriptions that might imaginatively be construed as the practice of identity politics， but terribly superficially。 This is apparently the conclusion to some other book readers can look forward to。 I was really hoping for a conclusion to wrap up identity and identifying and how humanity can use this knowledge beneficially to sort out the mess of life。 To get the most out of people while avoiding the pitfalls。 To give the book some sort of impact and importance。 Nelson Mandela wearing a Springboks’ scarf didn’t do it for me。To be sure， it’s an entertaining read。 The authors are storytellers。 They also love to add tales of their own experiences and how they made their own team （of two – just saying）。 People who know nothing of psychology will love it。 But at the scholarship level， it is not impressive。 More than a hundred stories， I’d say， all making essentially the same single and well understood point。 It never links， combines， multiplies， leverages， grows or transforms。 The Power of Us is a mile wide and an inch deep。 David Wineberg 。。。more
Michael Burnam-Fink
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The Power of Us is a fun and friendly guided tour through the world of social psychology by two professors。 The strengths are a clear and breezy writing style， though many of the specific references in the book are very 2020， and I'm curious about how well it'll hold up。 And second， the subtitle and some of the text is more ambitious than the material warrants。 Social harmony seems like an admiral goal in the fraught post-truth world of the Trump Regime and Biden Interregnum， but these problems The Power of Us is a fun and friendly guided tour through the world of social psychology by two professors。 The strengths are a clear and breezy writing style， though many of the specific references in the book are very 2020， and I'm curious about how well it'll hold up。 And second， the subtitle and some of the text is more ambitious than the material warrants。 Social harmony seems like an admiral goal in the fraught post-truth world of the Trump Regime and Biden Interregnum， but these problems may be beyond the grasp of social psychology to solve。Green vs Purple from Babylon 5 - The Geometry of ShadowsCooperation is the human superpower。 We're social creatures to a degree unmatched anywhere else。 Activating social identity， even ones as arbitrary as green or purple above， improve performance on group tasks and generosity even among selfish people。 Test subjects exhibit less disgust when handling a smelly shirt with their college's logo on it， and are more likely to help a fan of the same soccer team。But identity has an obvious dark side。 It carves the universe into us and them， and the cognitive heuristics of identity short circuit actual thinking。 In my favorite studies from the book， political identities make people bad at math， as partisans are unable to calculate simple averages to determine if a gun control proposal actually works， while being capable of doing the same for an uncontroversial example of an acne cream。 In another study， Asian-American respondents who were asked if they spoke English as part of the experimental intake where three times more likely to order American food like hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch than those in the control group， as a defense of their American identity was provoked。 And if you're looking to make a quick and unethical buck， a Christian identity scam is pretty surefire。Packer and Beval do have some interesting notes on when identities can help。 Manchester United fans will help a man in a rival Liverpool jersey if they're reminded of being soccer fans， and not just Man U。 An experiment in interfaith soccer teams in Mosul after the city was liberated from ISIL built some bridges between communities who had thousands of reasons to hate each other。 And even the baseline level of racism in America can be decreased by making multiracial teams on an arbitrary green vs purple basis。But the counter-examples are somewhat alarming。 Online discourse tends towards moralist and radicalizing language， separating communities into angry echo chambers。 The authors have little to say about what I'd say are the most pernicious problems of the 21st century， which is getting someone out of an identity。 The books opens with the classic Seekers UFO Cult from When Prophecy Fails， who flexibly adjusted to a 1954 end of the world deadline which never happened。 But with modern identities forming around vaccine skepticism （hooray COVID fourth wave！）， the universal conspiracy theory of QAnon， and a general attitude that the only fixed policy goal is triggering the libs， a book with this subtitle should have a little more ambition and bite， an update of Altemeyer's right-wing authoritarianism theories。 The Power of Us is fine when it sticks to science， but doesn't have the courage for a real "broader impacts" section。I received an ARC of this book from the publisher， and no other compensation for this review。 。。。more
Carol Ann
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