ABSTRACT
A core question within the study of groups, organizations, and societies is why people are motivated to cooperate with organizations to which they belong. This question is central to people's relationships with a wide variety of organizations, including the political and legal system; work organizations; families; and informal associations, such as clubs, teams, churches, and gangs. Whenever people are members of organized groups, they make decisions about the extent and nature of the efforts they will make to behaviorally engage in those organizations by acting in cooperative ways that benefit those organizations. My purpose here is to highlight the role that processes of social identity play in shaping the degree to which people are motivated to cooperate in organizations.
