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Fans - fickle or fanatic?
August 23, 2004Psychologists are making use of the radical shake up of Welsh Rugby to study what it means to be a fan. Researchers from the University of Glamorgan are studying the effects of changing supporter allegiances, boundaries and intergroup rivalries stemming from the recent restructuring of the game in Wales.
They will present their initial findings today, Friday 3 September, at The British Psychological Society's Social Psychology Section Annual Conference at the University of Liverpool's School of Psychology.
Dr Robert Thomson from the University of Glamorgan has used the unique circumstances created by the changes to the game in Wales to look at how fans have adjusted their self identity as the clubs they once supported so fervently have disappeared and new regional clubs have emerged.
Building on previous work into the nature of being a fan, the new research is examining just how fans have gone about transferring their allegiances, which contribute so much to their self-concept and identity. This work has implications for psychology as a discipline as it contributes to a wider understanding into social identity and how groups work.
Dr Thomson said: "One interesting issue we are looking at is that some of these new regional teams consist of existing clubs, whilst others are new entities created by the merging of two clubs. This allows direct comparison between supporters that continue support for existing teams and supporters that have to transfer their support."
British Psychological Society (BPS)
Building on previous work into the nature of being a fan, the new research is examining just how fans have gone about transferring their allegiances, which contribute so much to their self-concept and identity. This work has implications for psychology as a discipline as it contributes to a wider understanding into social identity and how groups work.
Dr Thomson said: "One interesting issue we are looking at is that some of these new regional teams consist of existing clubs, whilst others are new entities created by the merging of two clubs. This allows direct comparison between supporters that continue support for existing teams and supporters that have to transfer their support."
British Psychological Society (BPS)
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