Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative research methods and terminology.

Specify which approach is used in the study.

 Explain whether the study is qualitative or quantitative by citing specific clues from the article, such as sample size, data collection techniques, the nature of the data collected, or the data analysis techniques used.

Using information in the instructor guidance and Chapter 2 of the textbook, determine whether the research study you selected is non-experimental or experimental. Explain your reasoning.

Article Social Identity Reduces Depression by
Fostering Positive Attributions Social Psychological and
Personality Science
2015, Vol. 6(1) 65-74
ª The Author(s) 2014
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DOI: 10.1177/1948550614543309
spps.sagepub.com Tegan Cruwys1, Erica I. South1, Katharine H. Greenaway1,
and S. Alexander Haslam1 Abstract
Social identities are generally associated with better health and in particular lower levels of depression. However, there has been
limited investigation of why social identities protect against depression. The current research suggests that social identities reduce
depression in part because they attenuate the depressive attribution style (internal, stable, and global; e.g., ‘‘I failed because I’m
stupid’’). These relationships are first investigated in a survey (Study 1, N ¼ 139) and then followed up in an experiment that
manipulates social identity salience (Study 2, N ¼ 88). In both cases, people with stronger social identities were less likely to
attribute negative events to internal, stable, or global causes and subsequently reported lower levels of depression. These studies
thus indicate that social identities can protect and enhance mental health by facilitating positive interpretations of stress and
failure. Implications for clinical theory and practice are discussed.
Keywords
depression, social identity, multiple group membership, attribution, failure, mental health
We cannot live only for ourselves.
A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.
—Herman Melville, Moby Dick Humans have an innate need for social connections that are vital for
health and happiness in life (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Cohen &
Wills, 1985). When this need is not met—when the ‘‘thousand
fibers’’ in Melville’s (1851) quote are reduced to a few or
none—people are at risk of reduced well-being and even mental illness. In fact, depression—the leading cause of disability worldwide
(World Health Organization, 2012)—commonly arises when a person lacks social connections (Cacioppo, Hawkley, & Thisted,
2010; Cacioppo, Hughes, Waite, Hawkley, & Thisted, 2006).
Although extensive prior work has documented the fact that
social connectedness and social identities are critical to mental
health and reduced rates of depression, it remains unclear why
this is the case (Cruwys, Haslam, Dingle, Haslam, & Jetten,
2014; Jetten, Haslam, Haslam, Dingle, & Jones, 2014). We
address this research gap in the present work. What exactly do
social identities do, psychologically, that makes them so protective for mental health? In answering this question, we propose a
novel mechanism through which social identities can protect people against depression, that is, reduced depressive attributions. Social Identity and Depression
A growing body of literature demonstrates that social identities
are a key psychological resource that is protective for health generally (Haslam, Jetten, Postmes, & Haslam, 2009; Jetten,
Haslam, & Haslam, 2012) and against depression in particular
(Cruwys et al., 2013; Cruwys, Haslam, Dingle, Haslam, et al,
2014; Cruwys, Haslam, Dingle, Jetten, et al., 2014). Social
identity refers to that part of the self-concept that reflects the
internalization of group memberships (Tajfel & Turner,
1979). This means that when the self is defined by a given
social identity (e.g., ‘‘us Catholics,’’ ‘‘us psychologists,’’ and
‘‘us Australians’’), we see other members of that group not as
‘‘other’’ but as part of who and what we are. Moreover, when
groups are internalized in this way, they provide us with a sense
of belonging, purpose, and direction and therefore have the
capacity to enrich our lives—in particular, by providing a basis
for bonding, support, companionship, and security (Haslam
et al., 2009).
The psychological resources that social identity provides
in turn have positive consequences for health and well-being
(Jetten et al., 2012). Indeed, growing evidence suggests that
social identities have an important role in preventing and resolving depression. For example, in a longitudinal study with a
nationally representative sample of over 5,000 older adults, 1 University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
Erica I. South and Tegan Cruwys are joint first authors.
Corresponding Author:
Tegan Cruwys, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia,
Queensland, 4072, Australia.
Email: t.cruwys@uq.edu.au 66
Cruwys et al. (2013) found that possessing multiple group
memberships protected against the development of depression,
improved the likelihood of recovering from depression, and
prevented depression relapse. Indeed, evidence suggested that

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