ABSTRACT
It is the inter-group competition aspect that is at the core of the collective feeling of pride and that makes soccer so hugely popular. According to the Social Identity Theory, people strive for high self-esteem, and one factor that influences it is social identity. In terms of the prevalent mood of motivation among members, groups can be categorized into two types: cold and hot. Cold groups are those whose members have a defused identity. A hot group is one whose members' personal and collective identities are fused. Inter-group relations between cold and hot groups are complex, because the groups conceptualize the nature of conflicts based on different terms, and have difficulty understanding each other's motives. There are also differences in how cold and hot groups are able to engage in inter-group competition. Unless social scientists and policy makers learn to take the differences between hot and cold identities into account, continuing costly miscalculations in inter-group relations are very likely.
