Seek self in the crowd: Low self-concept clarity enhances collective action participation

Why do people engage in collective action? This research tested a hypothesis that people low in self-concept clarity (SCC) are more intended to participate in collective action to secure a certain self. Five studies (N = 1218) provided convergent evidence for the link between SCC and collective action participation (i.e., intentions and support for collective action, and actual participation). Furthermore, we demonstrated a dual-pathway model for the effect of SCC on collective action, such that low SCC simultaneously increased group identification and self-expression motivation, thereby enhancing collective action participation (Studies 3–4). We also found convergent process-by-moderation evidence for the dual-pathway model by showing that low SCC increases collective action participation only when the group was perceived as entitative (Study 5), because perceived low group entitativity harms individuals' group identification and self-expression motivation. Overall, our findings demonstrated that people engage in collective action to regain a clear sense of “who they are”. Copyright © 2026. Published by Elsevier Ltd.