ABSTRACT
In America wearing a Miami Dolphins sweater or a Green Bay Packers T-shirt makes a statement. In the UK the teams have very different names like Arsenal, Newcastle or Manchester United while in Australia, the teams that fans identify with have names like Collingwood, Sydney Swans or Brisbane Lions. Such names are brand symbols. One can identify privately with someone or something without needing to tell anybody else. In this sense identification can be a very private thing. The flip side, however, is that very often people want to signal their feeling of identification to the outside world. People do this non-verbally in their self-presentation and self-expression. They use symbols, mannerisms, gestures, idioms, flags, and so on to communicate non-verbal messages to the outside world. As a motivator, identification is to be distinguished from conformity. Conformity is the need to avoid standing out from the crowd.
