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Armed Forces & Society
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Being a Reserve Soldier

A Matter of Social Identity

James Griffith

Maryland Army National Guard, GriffithJH{at}verizon.net

Drawing on social identity theory, the present article examines the extent to which soldier identification with the small unit is related to outcomes having increased importance to reserve military service. Measures of social identity have stronger associations with unit membership, whereas measures of personal identity do not. Soldiers’ reports of positive experiences when first entering the unit are more strongly and positively related to measures of social identity than to measures of personal identity. Measures of social identity show positive relationships with group-relevant outcomes, such as commitment to the unit and perceived readiness of the unit and fellow soldiers. Measures of personal identity show positive relationships with individually relevant outcomes, such as reporting for duty for contractual reasons and letting their families down and perceived personal readiness for combat. Results imply improving specific small-unit relations and developing abstract beliefs to increase reservists’ perceived readiness and commitment to their part-time military service.

Key Words: reserve military service • social identity • reservist identity • readiness • retention

This version was published on October 1, 2009

Armed Forces & Society, Vol. 36, No. 1, 38-64 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0095327X08327819
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