Abstract
Social identity theory states that individuals will define themselves in terms of their group memberships (Haslam, 2004). The theory asserts that individuals will begin to adopt normative group characteristics through a process of depersonalization (Hogg & Terry, 2000). While research has been conducted with respect to fan identification in sport, little research has been done with athletes (Branscombe & Wann, 1991). Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine which athletes benefit the most from team identification. Participants (N = 155) were professional golfers from the PGA and LPGA tours who have competed in both individual match play tournaments and team based match play tournaments. Participants were classified into either a higher or lower golfing ability condition based on their lifetime World Golf Ranking statistic. Results of a MANOVA indicated an overall difference between higher and lower golfing ability, F(4,150) = 2.59, p = .039, ?2 = .065. In particular, the results showed a significant difference between higher ability golfers and lower ability golfers in relation to individual match play, but no significant difference in team match play. Results are discussed in terms of how performance within a team setting is facilitated due to social identity.
