Dying for the group: what motivates the ultimate sacrifice?

Whether idolised as heroes or demonised and labelled terrorists, throughout history people have been willing to die for their groups and the causes they believe in. But why?  Previous theories of extreme self-sacrifice have revealed that a range of factors fuel the decision, including collective identity, hostility from others outside of the group, kin psychology and in some cases diminished mental health and depression. However, new Oxford University research, led by Professor Harvey Whitehouse, Director of Oxford's Centre for Anthropology and Mind, suggests that there is a unique psychological process that may play a crucial role in motivating the ultimate sacrifice: identity fusion. Identity fusion - a visceral sense of oneness with the group - results from feelings of shared essence, forged through the sharing of emotional, life-shaping experiences. A construct developed by social psychologist Bill Swann at the University of Texas, it is a more powerful motivator of self-sacrifice than merely identifying with a group. In new research published in Behavioural and Brain Sciences , Professor Whitehouse argues that fusion is a major factor driving suicide terrorism. He bases this claim on several decades of research that he and his collaborators have been carrying out with specific groups, such as Islamic fundamentalists.